Why second-hand fashion is back in fashion

Second-hand clothes have come a long way from the festive round in the old charity shop.

Buying and selling “pre-loved” clothes is now a huge industry, thanks in part to online companies – or marketplaces – such as Depop, Vinted and eBay where people can trade clothes.

But there is evidence that some fashionistas choose to buy only second-hand clothes, not only for value and environmental reasons, but also because they want individual style.

26-year-old Isabella Vrana has made a business out of it.

From a hobby she started at Depop as a student eight years ago, she has generated sales of £800,000 and the business continues to grow.

It all started because of a “shopping problem”.

“I was basically buying too much for myself,” she says. “But I was getting everything at really good prices because it was all second-hand, so I just decided to start selling these pieces for money, and I realized I was making a profit on every piece.”

While her fellow students worked in pubs or restaurants at the weekend, Ms Vrana – sometimes with the help of her mother – packed vintage clothes for customers and ran to the post office between lectures.

After failing to land a job as a professional fashion buyer due to a lack of experience in the industry, Ms. Vrana decided to take the plunge and turn to selling second-hand clothing full-time.

It was scary, she admits. “At the time, I thought, ‘I just want a boss and a paycheck and vacation and sick pay.'”

But she says: “I’m actually really glad I chose it because I love being self-employed.”

Ms Vrana now employs three people and has a shipping container/warehouse as well as two ateliers where clothes are shipped, sorted, photographed and shipped to customers who access her business through Depop.

She also recently set up a wholesale business to sell vintage clothing to other online businesses, as well as hosting pop-up shops in New York, Dublin and Copenhagen. And she sells her own label Isabella Vrana.

In her eight years in business, Ms. Vrana says she has seen huge changes in the demand for second-hand clothing.

“It wasn’t such a normal thing when I started, so I’ve definitely seen an increase in people buying second hand to try to be more sustainable,” she says.

It also has the quality of well-made vintage clothing. “These items last for decades and wear too. Get a vintage pair of jeans – I’ve got jeans with dry-cleaner tags from the 1990s and they’re still so strong,” she says.

“I think people are realizing that you might invest a little bit more up front, but then it really pays off in the long run.”

Adam Jay, CEO of marketplace at clothing resale app Vinted, says the growth in demand for second-hand clothing is “phenomenal”.

Vinted now has over eight million registered members in the UK, up from 1.2 million in 2021.

There are obvious reasons why people are attracted to second-hand clothes.

Buying new clothes and shoes can be expensive at a time when many people are struggling with the cost of living.

The rate at which clothing and footwear prices rose reached 6.5% in the year to April, according to the Office for National Statistics.

But for fashion and sustainability vlogger Rosie Okocha, “thrifted fashion is very cool now because it’s my personal style, no one else can get it.”

She credits TikTok and Instagram with driving the second-hand clothing trend, particularly with “Gen Z” shoppers — those born between the mid-90s and mid-2000s.

This is reflected in the styles that people buy.

According to Depop, “Y2K” is a popular trend on the app, including oversized denim, colorful crochet and vintage tees. There is also a demand for unique and personalized items, as well as clothing that is handmade or reworked from existing pieces.

But while the internet may be fueling the trend, there is vintage fashion to be found in the High Street charity shop.

Ms Okotcha says part of her mission is to try to “break down the stigma that there’s anything wrong with second-hand shopping because it’s actually really fantastic fun and great for the planet”.

While it may seem inevitable that the popularity of apps may have led to clothing donations being diverted from the High Street, the Charity Retail Association (CRA) says this is not the case.

Charity shop sales rose 15.1% between January and March compared to the same three months last year.

“There is a lot of second-hand clothing, so we see the growth of online selling platforms as a complement to the work of charity shops,” says the CRA.

Ms. Vrana agrees that there is plenty of room for competition, and she plans to continue.

“There’s definitely money to be made,” she says.

“You can definitely support yourself doing this full-time, which I’m really grateful for because sometimes it doesn’t even feel like work because I enjoy it so much.”