On Feb. 15, the fashion marketing and management program will be hosting their annual pop-up event, “The Story.” In collaboration with Goodwill Industries, fashion students have been able to get their hands on a variety of thrifted pieces ranging from different categories of style. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., visitors will have the opportunity to go through the racks at The Canadian Village Square, and dive into a world of curated second-hand treasures.

This event is a great opportunity for fashion students to gain realworld experience in the industry but also for all Fanshawe students to restructure their perception of thrifting. While thrifting has become increasingly popular throughout the years, there is still a negative view on this type of shopping.

Jessica Manola is one of the fashion students who helped organize this event. She explained her role of social media for “The Story,” and how in preparation for the event, she has really enjoyed creating content such as Reels to captivate potential event-goers.

Although the lead-up to the event has been great experience, Manola explained that because of her passion and drive for the industry, she is enthusiastic about contributing to the encouragement of thrifting with the community of Fanshawe College.

“I want to see people fall in love with second-hand because the fashion industry is one of the positives in the world.” Manola said. “Buying second-hand doesn’t have to be degrading to yourself, you can feel good in second-hand because fashion is evolving.”

Chieh-Lin (Jolin) Huang, who is also in the two-year fashion marketing and management program, has gained experience in the merchandising division for this event. Huang has been a part of choosing some of the pieces that will be at the event itself. This process of selection began last October, giving the opportunity to collect a variety of clothing items from Goodwill. According to Huang, there will be approximately 500 items that will cater for a variety of different categories of style.

Similarly, to Manola, Huang shared excitement for showcasing to the students of Fanshawe that “second-hand is cool,” and highlighting the importance of sustainability.

If you’re an avid thrifter, this event was practically created for you! If you’ve always been on the fence about thrifting, this is a perfect opportunity to introduce yourself to the thrifting world.

Check out the The Story on Instagram to learn more.