Granted, the credit goes to eBay. It’s 1995 and the digital sales formula associated with second hand seemed like an impossible mission. From there the revolution. And since that Shop from vintage online shops is constantly on the rise. It has changed shapes, sizes and uses but has never suffered a setback. On the other hand. Not only has it unearthed the hidden treasures piling up in the attic, it’s sort of made sense of fashion again, in the broadest sense. But not only. In recent years, second-hand fashion has actively participated in the narrative about sustainable fashion, find approvals and rejections. From our grandmother’s dresser we learned to research and resell even the latest clothes and accessories, and the phenomenon has spread to all brands like wildfire. Even reach the mass market. Up to the latest breaking news on the topic: Shein, the ultra-fast fashion brand, launches the second-hand channel. And the question arises: sustainability or greenwashing?
What we know about Shein Second Hand
On Monday, the Chinese fast fashion giant launched a new platform, which is only available for the American market for the time being. The opportunity? Buying and reselling their old clothes directly from the app. Business of Fashion announces this in a short article that explains what we know for now about this operation that we will hear a lot about. So we read: “This move is both a way to build a benchmark in a fast-growing consumer market and part of a series of efforts to combat criticism that their fast, low-cost business model is an antithesis to efforts to make fashion more sustainable ». According to Bof, for big brands like Shein, it’s unlikely that “resale will become a major revenue driver anytime soon. But it offers a a compelling reason customers keep coming back. Potentially open new touchpoints with consumers and create engagement ». So loyalty seems to be the watchword. But also a realignment to the new sustainability dictate, considering that «Shein has been attacked a lot because it is not a sustainable brand. It has been under the microscope for some time… ».
The boom in second-hand fashion
Spontaneous purchases made and stayed in the cupboard with the label for months. Wrong gifts, clothing and accessories that no longer fit or please. One thing is certain: the great success that the App for selling used clothes They’ve made perfect sense over the past few years. The recession and the climate crisis are the first plausible reasons that come to mind. But freeing up closet space and selling what isn’t right for us has more than one benefit. In addition to space and order, the former is undoubtedly a more or less small additional source of income. The second is that it is one shop sustainably. Because it puts a large amount of clothing back into circulation without the costs and environmental damage of production and sale.
Like this, from Depop to Vinted, from Vestiaire Collective to Rebelle We are in the middle of the second-hand age. But not only. There are many brands and marketplaces that have added the ability to sell used items. About 100 brands and retailers have launched their own resale channels in the last two years. According to the BoF analysis conducted in May. From Balenciaga and Valentino to Zalando Second Hand. Right down to rivals Shein H&M and PrettyLittleThing.
Browse the gallery
The most desirable and best-selling brands on the used market
Fast fashion & second hand
We can all agree: one is vintage by Chanel or Dior, the other is (let’s call it) vintage by Shein. It still is: Second-hand is about to become the new fast fashion? Or is there room for everyone? The general opinion, regardless of anything, was that greater circularity of clothes bought and then resold could increase their lifespan. That’s how they do it more democratic and less disposable fashion. Despite these preambles, however, there are many doubts. On the one hand there are the new generations (but not only) of consumers who have become accustomed to overconsumption. On the other hand, the companies that remain connected to overproduction despite the new sustainability policy. So what?
As journalist Rachel Cernansky wrote in Vogue Business: “Although resale offers a way to extend the life of used clothing, the model does not take into account what happens to the clothing when it is discarded, nor does it guarantee that the clothing will be produced in becomes a lot more sustainable. Nor does it affect the volumes of new clothing produced or sold in the new market ». In short: the line between sustainability and greenwashing of these farms is blurring. But so be it. Posterity will judge.
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