In this sketch I was killing time at Makati Cinema Square, while my wife bought some new (second had) shirts and shorts. The ukay-ukay shops in this old mall are huge and have a massive range (including all those bags you can see hanging up in my sketch). Ukay-ukay are thrift stores selling mostly secondhand clothing – the word comes from the Filipino word “hukay” (to dig), adn refers to rummaging through piles of imported items. All the same I’d rather the throw away and fast fashion culture of the developed world was not destroying the planet. According to earth.org fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions, the industry dries up and pollutes water resources and while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year.
Fri-1-May-2026
Ugh, fast fashion has a LOT to answer for! One of the things I hate most about it is that it’s turned home sewing into an expensive luxury (if you use new fabric). My solution for this is to purchase second hand sheets, curtains, duvet covers, etc to use as raw materials for my garment sewing. I was delighted to recently purchase a linen sheet for USD$4, I’ll get several garments from it.
That sounds great. Our daughter is really fantastic at repurposing clothes from thrift stores. Sewing is her passion