Flea Market
The Louisville flea market's environmental impact
Leanna Flexo '24
Features Content Editor
The Louisville flea market has returned for its second year in a row! The flea market consists of student-donated clothes, such as shirts, pants, jackets, bags, shoes and books that are all sold to the student body. All the funds collected go to Louisville and an environmental organization that advocates against fast-fashion, chosen by the Environmental Club.
Alumna Charlie Deitchman ’23, former ASB treasurer, started the flea market last year, and it has now become a tradition at Louisville. Deitchman created the flea market in an effort to stand up against the fast-fashion industry by selling used clothes and accessories that people can buy for a low price.
Veronica Leidy '24 and Mary Jane O'Keefe-Morales '26 at the Flea Market
This year’s flea market, run by ASB, was a success, as a huge amount of donated items came from the student body and almost $1,000 was raised. Darcy Mullane ’24 and Zia Eger-Slobig ’25 even baked some treats that people could buy! Falon Rushton ’24 set the vibe with a fun and sunshine-filled playlist to uplift everyone amidst the bright and sunny afternoon. After the event ended, the remainder of the clothes were donated to the Guadalupe Center by ASB.
The Environmental Club chose to donate some of the funds to the organization Remake. Its central goal is to stop various fast-fashion companies such as Shein, Forever 21, H&M or Brandy Melville. Fast-fashion takes an enormous toll on the environment, as the materials used to make the clothes, such as polyester, can be dangerous to the land and animals. Even though they are cheap and efficient, they end up doing more harm than good.
Most of the clothes are so over-produced that almost all of them get thrown out or neglected and end up in a land-fill, producing a massive amount of waste. This not only affects the air we breathe and the living animals that inhabit surrounding areas, but also the people making the clothes. Workers are exploited for incredibly long hours per day, with very little pay.
This is why donating old clothes or going to thrift stores are a lot more environmentally friendly practices than buying new clothes from these industries profiting off of pollution and over-exploitation.
The whole message behind the Louisville flea market is to exemplify how it is, in fact, possible to resist fast fashion and still buy perfectly cute clothes. Next time you go out to shop for some new attire, try going out to a thrift store instead, or even look through your own closet! You never know what you might find.