Second-hand fashion is becoming the favourite in terms of how everyone is buying their clothes these days. Any reservations that the majority of people had about buying second-hand clothes have long gone and people are now proud to say that their garments are pre-loved. However, as this way of shopping grows in popularity, we appreciate it is not the norm for everyone, and that some people can feel a little estranged about what second-hand clothes are and how to go about buying them. So, before we get into the HOW, we want to explain the WHAT. We’re going to educate those of you who aren’t sure as to what exactly second-hand means and why it’s becoming so popular!
Firstly, I think it’s important to make one thing clear; just because something is second-hand, doesn’t mean it’s been worn a thousand times by someone else. It might have been, and sometimes it’s that worn-in look and character that draws people to buy it. With second-hand shopping, you may surprise yourself as to how much you can appreciate a jacket or an old sweatshirt, that yes has been worn, but that has clearly come from another time and lived a whole other life and now it’s going to start a whole new one with you! Anyhow, the second-hand market is also largely made up of clothes that will have only been worn a few times, maybe for special occasions, and clothes that have never been worn. People sell or give clothes away mostly because they aren’t getting around to wearing them and they’re taking up space! You can go into a charity shop and find clothes that will still have tags on, and with the amount of energy and resources it takes to make just one garment, thank god it ended up in a second-hand shop, otherwise what was the point in making it!
This leads us nicely onto the topic of WHERE; where do all these clothes come from and where can you find them. No matter where second-hand clothes come from, be it a person donating them, a person selling their clothes, a wholesaler to a retailer or a shop with overstock, wherever these clothes come from, it’s because there’s more wear to be had out of them. In terms of where you can buy second-hand clothes, the traditional places have always been charity shops on the high street and platforms like eBay for shopping online. However, with the second-hand market growing so quickly, there are now loads more places to get your second-hand finds. There are a lot more second-hand and vintage shops on the highstreets, you can spend a whole day out in certain towns and cities where you just go to vintage and charity shops! There are a lot more places online too, with the creation of new buy and sell platforms constantly appearing and the growth of quite a few second-hand retailers online, there’s definitely not a shortage of access to second-hand fashion anymore.
And the big question is WHY? Why has this way of shopping for clothes become so popular and why is it growing so quickly? Well, that’s because there’s a demand for it as more and more people adopt this way of shopping. And the reasons for this growth in popularity are simple: it’s cheaper and it’s greener. If you can buy your clothes for a lot cheaper and know that it’s helping with the much-needed change in looking after our planet, why on earth wouldn’t you shop second-hand? You can have a whole wardrobe of pieces that you love that don’t cost you the earth (literally) and all whilst knowing you’re having a positive impact on the environment! It’s full proof.
So if you weren’t sure about second-hand fashion, we hope this has helped educate you as well as persuaded you to consider changing up your shopping habits. And if you do decide to make the switch to shopping second-hand fashion, good luck! We promise you it’s the best and most fun way to shop!
