Thrift with a side of poetry

Afreen Akhtar's thrift store blends poetry and pre-loved clothes while promoting gender equality

Afreen Akhtar, an activist, performer, and conscious consumer, runs an online thrift store called Ismat Store, named after her favourite author Ismat Chugtai.

Akhtar's passion for literature and art finds expression not just in the name of her store but also in the little touches she adds to her deliveries to make them personal and unique. Every buyer receives a note, poem or a painting with each product.

Ismat Store was launched on Instagram in 2020 during the lockdown.

"I had an NGO job that I was grateful for, but things took a bad turn, and I found myself quitting the work to tend to my mental health," she said. "Ismat store is not only about clothes; it's an amalgamation of all good things that comforted me back then."

The books, the paint, the poems, her wardrobe filled with quirky pieces gave her the idea of starting a thrift store.

"I remember taking out a dress and putting it on only to imagine myself as a different person or someone who has borrowed another identity to amuse herself," she said. "Bit by bit, it became a train of thought, and the next thing I knew was that I was working on a personal project called Ismat store", she continued.

Afreen Akhtar models clothes from her thrift store. Credit: Ismat Store

Thrifting is a popular concept these days, and it's not just for people looking for bargains. Thrift stores are huge on platforms like Instagram. There's a whole new market emerging, engaging with many people, especially the youth, who have embraced this sustainable trend of reuse and recycling.

Many of the owners of these shops are young themselves and are voicing their concerns and putting out their values, belief in sustainability, and pre-loved clothes with an artful approach.

"I see Ismat Store in more and more wardrobes and more and more hearts," said Akhtar. "When it comes to planning, I rely on the basics— organic growth built on trust, customer service, and sustainability. I also plan to diversify the range of selections we offer and widen the reach of environmentally conscious fashion.

Ismat Store is not an exclusively vintage store, though more than half of its collection includes vintage items, some dating back to the 50s or 60s. Akhtar makes sure to mention the exact details of each item while posting.

Her store promotes gender fluidity and that attracts a lot of young people.

"This online thrift store stands for unfettered individual expression; we consider all our clothes gender-neutral or unisex. We sell pronoun earrings, necklaces, pendants, hand-painted, hand-embroidered clothes, bohemian dresses, and it's not for just one gender," she said.

(The author is a writer and an art director. She is currently working on the first draft of her first book alongside other creative projects.)