THE THRIFT STORE REVIVAL:
WHY GEN Z IS BRINGING BACK
PRE-LOVED CLOTHING
By Alfredo Oveimeh-Brown
n any given day in Lagos, Abuja or Ibadan, there's a quiet kind of treasure hunt happening. No, it's not in malls, neither is it in glossy showrooms. It's in thrift piles: what Nigerians proudly call okrika. Once dismissed as second-hand necessity, thrift shopping is being reborn, with the main source of this revival stemming from Gen Z.
This isn't just all about saving money, it's about identity, rebellion and a redefinition of what it means to have style. Because for this generation, fashion is no longer about wearing what is new, it's about wearing what is you.
Walk into any thrift market and you'll see it immediately. A mix of oversized denim jackets, vintage graphic tees, retro sunglasses, and leather boots that have clearly lived other lives. No two pieces are alike, and that is precisely the point. Perfectly formed to one shopper's taste, found and reinvented by the next.
