13 Celebrities Who Love Thrifting and Sustainable Shopping

“I never, have ever, been interested in shopping at a ‘regular’ store.”

Most celebrities hit the red carpet in designer outfits that cost thousands of dollars but some stars prefer a much more sustainable way of dressing. Instead of spending big bucks on a high end wardrobe, these celebs say they’d rather hit a thrift shop or vintage store. While stepping out in a $15 secondhand dress at a major event may not be the norm, many of these stars say they’ve totally done it. And not only are they making the more sustainable choice and avoiding fast fashion but they’re also getting pieces that are unique and stand out from everyone else.

Find out what these stars had to say about thrifting…

Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo has nailed her cool girl style and says many of her favorite pieces are those that she finds while thrifting. As for her most important tips for thrifting, Olivia says it’s important to have patience and see a vision for a piece, even if it requires altering.

“I try to go vintage shopping when I’m in new cities on tour but I’m also a big fan of online vintage — Depop, The Real Real, Vestiaire Collective. Instead of going on TikTok, I kind of go on those sites and find cool things,” Olivia told Vogue.

Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren is all about thrifting, especially when she’s traveling. She says that sometimes she doesn’t even bring clothing with her on trips and instead picks out a new wardrobe at thrift stores once she reaches her destination. Then, before she goes home, she donates the clothing to another shop.

“I love a good charity shop, especially when I’m travelling. When I’m going to cold places, I take nothing — just underwear. On my way from the airport, I ask the driver to take me to a good charity shop, and I buy boots, socks, trousers, jumpers, sweaters, hats and scarves — usually for £30,” she told The Daily Express.

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Macklemore

Macklemore has become the king of thrifting since the release of his 2012 song “Thrift Shop.” While discussing the song, the rapper shared that his love of thrifting often went against the norm, especially in the entertainment industry.

“You know, I love thrift shopping. It is something that has been a part of my life since I was a young kid and it’s outside of the box. I like to write songs about my life and things that make me a unique person, and thrift shopping is one of those,” he shared with NPR.

He continued, “Hip-hop is usually an art form that is about … bling, consumption. Yeah, I have [expensive items] too. But I also have a bunch of clothes from thrift shops and it’s about, you know, just saving money. And I think that’s something that’s rare in hip-hop culture. It’s usually about spending money.”

Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore has been an avid thrifter for years and says that much of her wardrobe is made up of vintage pieces. While speaking with Angelina of Blueprint DIY, Drew opened up about her thrifting habits — and admitted that it had only recently dawned on her that it was good for the environment too.

“Upcycling really is an incredible way that we can be ecofriendly, save money. There is not one wrong thing about it. As a major thrifter in my real life, it’s all I wear, like, vintage clothing, I never thought of it as an eco thing,” Drew said on her show.

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Emma Watson

Emma Watson is a big fan of thrifting and even once partnered up with online secondhand retailer thredUP. While speaking about their Fashion Footprint Calculator, Emma opened up about how even making small changes to your wardrobe can make a big difference for the environment.

“Our closets impact the planet and climate more than you might realize…Small changes, such as thrifting instead of buying new, supporting sustainable brands, and air-drying your clothes, can make a HUGE difference,” Emma shared in an Instagram post.

Shailene Woodley

Shailene Woodley tries to live an eco-conscious lifestyle and that includes buying most of her clothing secondhand. While speaking about sustainability at Uber’s Go-Get Zero event in 2024, Shailene revealed that a majority of her outfit was thrifted — and she likes to keep it that way.

“Everything, apart from the socks I’m wearing, is secondhand. Most of my clothes are secondhand, and there’s wonderful companies now like The RealReal where you can find incredible pieces and then also sell them back. And it creates this really fun system to interact with,” she said at the event.

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Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish is a lifelong thrifter and says she’s never been interested in shopping at a regular store at the mall. Instead, she’s been going to secondhand shops for years, where she sees endless possibilities. She says she’s mastered her technique of sifting through racks quickly and not overthinking what she decides to pick up.

“I never, have ever, been interested in shopping at a ‘regular’ store. I don’t really know how to do it…What’s nice about thrifting is that you walk in and it’s just hundreds and hundreds of whatever and it’s this giant warehouse and kind of everything under the sun that you can imagine,” Billie shared at the Overheated Live conference.

Sienna Miller

Sienna Miller has always been a tastemaker when it comes to fashion and for her, a big part of that is thrifting. In 2021, she became a spokesperson for Oxfam’s Second Hand September, encouraging others to consider thrifting instead of buying new.

“Choosing second-hand fashion can be kinder for our planet. These small changes can make a huge difference. And rooting around in a charity shop is like hunting for treasure. Be a magpie!” Sienna shared.

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Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes has always been a fan of thrifting and says that she attended her first ever red carpet event in a dress that she had bought from Goodwill for $6. Even now, she’s still a fan of a “cheap find” and admits she gets a rush when she finds something good.

“I can feel when there’s a little something, you know, where there’s gold in the hills, and I really zero in. That’s the fun part for me,” she once told People.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker says her views on fashion were changed after watching The True Cost, a documentary about the poor conditions for workers in fast fashion factories. She admitted it changed the way she shopped and made it a priority to buy secondhand, even for her children.

“I will only buy secondhand clothes for my son, James Wilkie. The documentary The True Cost really changed me,” she told The Edit in 2016. “The one area I’ve had a hard time with is pants, but I buy used T-shirts and sweaters for him. Track pants are hard — boys rip them; I don’t know how to get around that.”

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Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway admits she’s been trying to be more eco-friendly when it comes to her fashion choices and during a 2017 talk show appearance, she revealed she was wearing a dress that she had thrifted from a flea market for just $15.

“This is a $15 flea market dress,” she revealed on Good Morning America. “I’m trying to be more sustainable with my fashion choices, so I’m trying to wear vintage wherever I can.”

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder has long been a fan of thrifting and has even worn secondhand items for major events and A-list parties. In fact, she once wore a vintage dress she got for just $10 on the red carpet at the Oscars.

“Most of my wardrobe is vintage and I’ve worn dresses to the Oscars that I got for $10. At Sean Penn’s last Haiti gala I wore this vintage dress that I’d worn to a film premiere in 2005. I know that’s kind of a no-no in the fashion world, but why wear something just once if you love it?” she told Red magazine.

Janelle Monáe

Janelle Monáe has been thrifting for years, long before she was living life in the spotlight. She explained that even when she had almost no money, she made sure to allocate a budget for thrifting so that she could have a unique wardrobe.

“I used to spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars [at thrift stores] — and this wasn’t even when I was making thousands, I didn’t even have $1,000 probably,” Janelle shared. “If I’ve got $500, I was spending half of it in the thrift store, and I wasn’t saving my money.”