Consumers tend to fall into two categories when it comes to buying secondhand clothing. Some love the thrill of getting a bargain, poring over racks and racks of undiscovered items. The latter prefer stream-lined stores, where they find exactly what they want in their size, whilst being at the forefront of current fashion trends effortlessly.
One thing is for sure, secondhand clothes are losing the ‘weird’ stigma. So much so, that in the US market in 2019 the secondhand clothing market expanded 21 times faster than conventional retail apparel. Pre-owned and pre-loved has now become more lovable. (1)

Secondhand, Not Second-Rate

The U.S. secondhand clothing market is expected to more than triple in size over the next 10 years, from $28 billion in 2019 to $80 billion in 2029. This according to a new estimate, in a U.S. market currently worth $379 billion. (1)

While ‘fast fashion’, a business model that emerged in the early 2000’s, characterized by cheap and disposable clothing (think H&M and Zara) is expected to continue growing 20% in the next 10 years, secondhand fashion is poised to grow a whopping 185%. (1)

Two main groups, thrift stores and resale websites, are part of this secondhand boom, but it’s online shopping that has really fueled the recent increase. Online apparel resale is a highly diverse field of the industry for both business and consumers. Research conducted showed young American women who use digital channels like Poshmark on a regular basis saw secondhand clothes as a way to access cheap items as well as those that they could not otherwise afford. They did not see it as an alternative consumption model or a way to minimize reliance on the output of new clothes. A point raised might be how online secondhand clothing retailers might just be encouraging people to buy more clothes anyway, ending up being a net-loss environmentally. (2)

With secondhand clothes shopping leaning towards ways of encouraging sustainable consumption practices, consumers are figuring this out. Without the need to ship, which means pollution from trucks, savvy buyers are considering only shopping local for secondhand clothing, having local clothes-swap parties and sticking to the rule of any shopping – don’t buy what you don’t need. (2)

Social Trends For Trendy Clothes

The apparel industry is all about about what current consumers like. The term ethical shopping is also becoming more presented for moral purposes, and consumers can opt to separate themselves from mainstream by buying secondhand clothes.

Many of us now know conditions in worldwide factories can be abysmal, just so we should have new and fresh clothes. Tales of workers who barely make ends meet on “starvation wages” are legion in the garment industry. 

Adidas, C&A, Disney, Gap Inc., H&M Group, Marks and Spencer, Nike, Target USA and Woolworths are a small selection of companies that disclose information to show where they are producing and the sites they are monitoring. In attempt to be more transparent in supply chain data, consumers seem grateful some alleged smokescreens have been lifted, and are choosing to shop more ethically also. (3)

Solving Sustainability Clothing Crisis 

If you’ve shopped in a thrift store recently you may have noticed gone are the musty smells and jumbled-up facets. The secondhand trend really has some potential to reshape the fashion industry and minimize the negative environmental effects on our planet. To further minimize pollution and waste generated by clothing production, shopping secondhand locally seems wise, and if online shopping is your thing, remember, it’s only a bargain if you really need it.