Sustainable, affordable and interesting, preloved clothing is everywhere. But what if a beautiful find has a significant flaw? Here is everything you need to know
It’s hard to pinpoint the moment secondhand clothing became more than a fad. Was it last year, when Love Island first collaborated with eBay instead of its usual fast fashion brands? Maybe it was this week, when Zendaya, Jenna Ortega and Gabrielle Union all wore 20+-year-old Versace dresses to awards shows when they could have had their pick of the designer bunch. Or perhaps it was when the upmarket UK department store Selfridges announced half its interactions with customers would be based on resale, repairs, rental or refill by 2030. Half!
For those who have been happily scouring eBay and Oxfam for many years, used clothing is not about red carpets and trends. It’s about necessity, common sense and, occasionally, having fun. According to the resale site Depop, more than half of British 18- to 35-year-olds buy secondhand clothing not only because they recognise that overconsumption is at the heart of the environmental crisis, but because they can get a one-off bargain for a fraction of the price. Trends repeat, so it is baffling why anyone would buy a new pair of 00s low-slung jeans when you can buy the original, often for less.
