The Growth of Resale Fashion

Resale fashion is becoming increasingly popular, and has been on the upward trend for the last few years. In fact, it is a market that, according to a recent report, is predicted to grow 127% by 2026, well overtaking the fast fashion clothing sector. With more and more consumers and businesses focussing on it, realising its benefits for the buyer, the business and the environment, there is no wonder that resale fashion is on the upward trajectory. 

Resale fashion is where clothes and accessories are bought second-hand and used, as opposed to brand new. The demand for purchasing fashion in this way is growing dramatically, with consumers looking to be more sustainable, as well as ethical and cost savvy too. 

Resale, or second hand, fashion, is becoming an increasingly popular way to shop. Not just for the purposes of saving money, but for saving the planet and reducing waste when it comes to fashion. There are more and more ways to shop resale fashion, from popular apps such as Vinted and Depop, to charity shops and online marketplaces/apps that are specifically for second-hand items. All of these have proven their popularity over the last couple of years, becoming the go-to way of purchasing clothing and shoes for many people. 

It is a market that is expected to keep growing and growing, proven by predictions that it has the potential to become bigger than fast fashion in the not too distant future. 

More and more people are becoming conscious of fast fashion and the damaging impact it has on the environment, on workers involved in creating it, and the waste that it generates year on year. As well as this, the quality of clothing produced quickly is another concern amongst those who are slowly drifting to preferring resale fashion. 

Businesses who offer resale fashion also stand themselves as focused on sustainability, passionate about the environment, something that more and more businesses naturally want to do. 

From a cost perspective too, resale fashion is considerably cheaper than buying brand new clothes, and with the cost of living crisis hitting the UK hard in recent months, a lot of people have found that thrifting clothes and buying resale instead is a better option for them. In 2021, Zara was one of the most listed brands on online marketplace Depop, proving that consumers have access to high-end brands, for just a fraction of the cost, all whilst shopping sustainably and second-hand. Many garments listed on such sites are in excellent condition, sometimes even new and unwanted, a win-win for buyers wanting good quality items for a fraction of the cost they would pay in the high street store. 

In fact, in response to this, Zara created a ‘preowned’ section on their website, dedicated to extending the life of their clothes, and a space where consumers can either repair, buy/sell, or donate clothes. They are proving their focus on sustainability, and encouraging its customers to do the same. 

They are not the only business to do this either, with other high street names such as H&M and ASOS following suit across the world. 

Another driver in the growth of resale fashion was the 2020 global pandemic that saw shops closed, or with limited accessibility, driving more and more people to shop online. Indeed, lots of people also took the opportunity during lockdown to sell their items on apps such as Depop and Vinted, for a bit of extra money, and to clear out their wardrobes. Since then, people have been committed to resale fashion, seeing its benefits and wanting to contribute to a more sustainable future in fashion. 

It has truly never been easier to shop resale fashion, especially in our digital age where the internet offers a wealth of available platforms to buy and sell clothing. Apps and websites such as Depop, Vinted, Poshmark, and even Ebay and Amazon, are all excellent platforms for shopping resale fashion, and to try your hand at selling items too if you want to get involved in that way. 

Charity and Vintage shops are other perfect and easy ways to get involved in resale fashion, they are popular on the high street and all focus on thrifted and slow fashion. 

As mentioned earlier, even high street popular brands are getting in on the resale action, offering their own resale or preloved pages on their websites, where consumers can buy, sell and donate resale fashion. 

All of these methods of buying resale fashion contribute to a more sustainable and cost effective fashion market. 

It is the younger generation of consumers that are driving the resale fashion industry, in particular the women aged between 20 and 35 years old demographic. According to Forbes, as of 2021, an impressive 42% of millennial and Generation Z consumers said they were likely to shop for secondhand items, a prediction that has been proven over the last couple of years. 

One young consumer, 19, said that she shops resale fashion over fast fashion because “it is not only sustainable for the planet, but as a young person I find it cheaper to buy clothes in this way. I also enjoy being able to sell clothes in the same way, giving me the chance to clear out but knowing that I’m not just throwing clothes out- they are going to someone to wear again and again.” 

Resale fashion has grown tremendously over the last few years, and is expected to continue growing in the same way, if not even more in the coming years. With resale fashion so accessible and easy for consumers, as well as still excellent quality and price too, there is no wonder that it is slowly starting to overtake fast fashion in terms of focus and popularity. More and more businesses are focused on resale fashion, changing their ways to incorporate it and speak to the people who want to take part in it. 

Featured image courtesy of StockSnap from Pixabay.