Where do you usually buy your clothes from?
Sort of high street but sometimes
I let's go in my charity shops.
Mostly secondhand stuff.
Like charity shops actually.
Thrift stores or like secondhand.
Secondhand clothes too, yes.
Attitudes towards secondhand clothes have changed where now just over
two-thirds of people are either buying or up for buying used clothes.
The resale market has recently grown 21 times faster than retail
and who's responsible?
You blasted kids.
Err, rude. But he's right.
Us youngsters who are killing everything
are driving the reselling trend, helping it become a disruptive force.
So why has reselling and buying secondhand become so popular?
Here's three reasons.
The first is our desire for variety, which has a lot to do with it.
When you're the most photographed generation in history
it seems like every event requires a fresh look for your feed.
So selling our stuff and buying secondhand means that we can
easily change up our wardrobes.
Secondly, we're more aware of fashion's sustainability problem.
We are also buying more clothes than ever though so
maybe that doesn't quite stack up but there's one reason we can all agree on:
Well for one, because it's cheaper.
– It's cheaper for me. – You get designer stuff for cheaper.
Yeah.
Factors that are most important for
people when they're choosing where to buy or what clothing to buy
is really value for money and that is something that secondhand
can offer to people so people can trade up, they can buy brands
they wouldn't necessarily be able to afford brand new.
Now, reselling has exploded and dozens of apps have sprung up,
which look nothing like the old days.
One of the biggest is Depop.
It's pull with younger users is massive because it goes beyond just simply
buying clothes.
This is Isabella Vrana who is one of the top sellers on Depop in the world.
The highest earners on Depop can earn up to six figures.
People have been reselling a few years and it's only so visible now because of
social media and apps like Depop which like get a lot of attention
from media and stuff.
It kind of hits the sweet spot of like eBay but Instagram because
you like and you follow
And what sort of clothes do you sell?
What would you say is the style?
I think Rachel Green when she was working at Ralph Lauren kind of officewear.
Not too specific.
I'm not trying to sell the coolest stuff, I'm just selling stuff that I like
and stuff that I'd wear.
Styling is really important to me.
I style everything in my photos how I'd wear it.
I'm just doing me. Yeah.
Drops mic.
[laughs] Just doing me.
The popularity of Bella's store shows how Depop is bringing
buyers and sellers together.
You the consumer, you want to buy from somebody that
maybe you resonate with.
You don't want to buy into, you know, this faceless organisation.
where, you know, that authenticity is missing.
So I think Depop fills that space of, you know, this is a human being
and I'm inspired by your work and so it gives that human quality.
However reselling points to an
obvious worry for the fashion industry.
If people are buying more secondhand then they're not buying new.
So how is it coping?
Some retailers are putting their money where their mouth is,
partnering with or investing in resale platforms.
In the luxury space we've seen Burberry partner with The RealReal and then
looking more towards the high street we have H&M who has a 70% majority stake
in Sellpy, another resale platform.
Other brands use resale apps to spot the most unique looks from sellers like Isabella,
and release their own versions of the most hyped items.
It's easy work when you can see what's being liked and what's being sold.
The resellers, how they are driving that narrative,
that's very important because that is really the birthplace
of trends and so of course a big brand is looking at that and seeing you know
what is resonating with their audience.
Then there are the retailers who are hosting pop ups to draw in shoppers
who are less likely to buy new.
But there are also brands who aren't on board and see reselling
as a matter of trademark infringement.
This is a problem when it comes to brand devaluation.
There is that worry of, you know, these kind of luxury players
losing control and then that tarnishing, the value of their brand.
So what does it all mean?
Our attitude to secondhand clothes has made reselling big and research shows
that there's an appetite across all ages.
Some of the power has been handed back to us,
forcing fashion retailers to innovate.
But as the way we own things, from homes to music,
to films and cars, continues to lean towards renting and sharing,
trickier challenges could lie ahead if fashion continues in this way.
Peer-to-peer swapping. That's become a really big thing particularly with
younger consumers and they're really interested in swapping with friends or
going to clothes swapping events as well.
And that's going to be much harder for retailers to take part in.