Second-hand Fashion – Fashion is no longer about having the most incredible styles. Instead of careering the latest must-have brands and designs, customers are now rating the environmental footprint of their clothing. Many are choosing second-hand upon the realization that buying preloved items helps extend the product lifespan, reduce unsustainable new manufacture and divert waste from landfills. The latest data shows that while all subdivisions in sustainable fashion – recycled, upcycled, rent – have recorded rising fame, second-hand fashion will lead the pack and see the most short-tempered growth.

What is a Re-commerce Business Model?

Resale is the retail of used items. While a few years ago, second-hand items used to be traded mainly on louse markets and thrift shops, much of the trading has shifted to online platforms. The fashion industry has been original resale models, but non-fashion businesses are catching on. For example, the furniture retailer has recently launched a take-back offering and a pilot second-hand self-opening store.

Customer Trends – Why Do Customers Buy (and Sell) Used Products?

Buying second-hand products are no longer considered off-limits – in fact, recent studies show that particularly young people are satisfied with purchasing second-hand. A multitude of factors drives this development. However, most of them remain linked to two key drivers:

1. It’s cheaper.
2. It’s greener.

Second-hand things often are bought for a fraction of the retail price. However, it does not mean that all resale models sit in low-price segments. Recent years have seen a record rise in luxury fashion resale. The brands partner with package services like Real to collect and resell their pre-owned products. As a result, they can straight sell used luxury goods to their peers. But, like buyers, private sellers are also often driven by financial motives – the opportunity to make a few extra cash while cleaning out their lofts.

Giving used items a second or third lifecycle is not just good for the customers’ wallets. Extending a product’s life cycle also has ecological benefits, dropping the economy’s draw on natural resources and postponing waste creation. As customers become more aware of how inefficient fast fashion is, they are progressively looking for more sustainable replacements. This trend is evident in the fashion industry and smears to supplementary product categories, such as customer electronics or furniture.

The Problem With Fashion

Fashion customers are used to a nonstop supply of new trends and “fast fashion” products. Fast fashion works rapidly to repeat an ever-moving stream of sensations, producing large sizes of low-quality clothing.

The influence of fast fashion on the environment is important and well-documented. Worldwide, the fast fashion industry creates 92 million tonnes of leftovers annually and uses 79 tons of water. Less than 15% of clothes are recycled.

But, going against this fast fashion trend, growing numbers of people are shopping for second-hand clothing and accessories.

Despite the Pandemic, Online Second-Hand Shopping Keeps Going Up

Customers are seeking sustainable bargains even though they fix at home. Set marketplace Poshmark recently said that its user base has skipped to 60 million, with retailers from mid-March to mid-June in 2020 sharing a fantastic 60 million programs every day – double the numbers recorded before Covid-19.

Demand is Growing For Second-Hand Items From Sustainable Brands

Not only are customers buying second-hand items, which is more eco-friendly as it helps to lengthen the lifespan of products, but shoppers are also looking to go that extra mile by buying preloved sustainable garments. According to the resale platform Vestiaire Collective’s recent Smart Side of Fashion 2020. As a result, they took the acnes for the top trending brands last year.

 Pay Less For More

Used clothes are cheaper than new ones. Expensive clothes are no more expensive! You will find expensive brands falling into your budget. While shopping, we must vote for what is right with our pockets. The second-hand clothing market understands your pocket well and offers you the best.

ThredUP has found that shoppers from all price levels buy second-hand clothes. At the luxury retail end, 26% of shoppers purchase used goods. In the mid-market, it stands at 25% and 22% depending on discounts. So the second-hand market has provided an excellent budget to shoppers.

 Dress For The Planet

Fashion is the second polluting industry in the globe. It is because fabrics aren’t biodegradable, and the industry’s raw materials consume a vast amount of resources and leave behind massive levels of pollution and emissions- around 20% of the world’s wastewater and 10% of carbon emission comes from the fashion industry, reported by UNECE.

What happens to our used clothes? 64% of what we buy ends up in landfills. Buying used goods instead of new ones extend the cloth’s life and reduce the garment’s carbon footprint by 82%. The Second-hand market is relieving pressure on virgin resources used for making new clothes and the number of problems caused by their manufacture and usage. To attain sustainability, we should be conscious of the 5Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent and Repair.

If we can buy just ONE used cloth instead of new, we can substantially positively impact our planet.

Personalize Your Style

Second-hand clothing has a personalized style for everyone. Now you don’t need to visit big shops to pick the trendy style everyone else is choosing. The secondary market has a wide variety of vintage fashion. Take your style. Be more specific. Be more creative.

When you buy used goods, your style is more personal, and your fashion becomes timeless. Uniqueness and style are more important for the shopper who buys second-hand clothing. Millennials embrace the trend, with 33% of shoppers purchasing used clothes. Gen X is a long way behind at 20%, while Gen Z, the new kids on the block, is at 16%. Young shoppers are embracing vintage fashion. These Generations constantly bombard with trendy, cheap, and classy styles.

However, Millennials and Gen Z are likely to drive the secondhand clothing market. Second-hand shopping brings vintage style back into trend and allows you to experiment with new unique fashion.

Fight on Fashion

Fashion is cyclical. By embracing second-hand clothing, you can break down the stigma of second-hand clothing. We all must fight for style to live a healthy and wealthy life. Inspire others to join the fight on fashion by embracing used goods.

You Can Learn Unique Items That You’ll Love

The top belongings about shopping for second-hand clothes is the chance it provides to discover unique items that no one else has. Part of the fun is in the hunt, searching through one-of-a-kind items till you find the perfect one for you. Whether a vintage coat or a shirt from a few seasons back, buying preloved fashion will help you add a unique twist to your wardrobe rather than having hangers filled with the same fast fashion items everyone else is wearing.

Conclusion

The best thing about shopping for second-hand clothes is its facility to help you develop your style!

When you browse second-hand fashion, you are likely to try different styles crossing years of trends that otherwise you might never have been aware of. This gives you a chance to be inspired by your fashion choices and reimagine your styles and combinations that you might not have tried in the past. For those feeling extra creative, second-hand clothes can provide an excellent basis for upcycling projects to bring your fashion creations to life.