INTRODUCTION

Since the pandemic, fashion has undergone a major transformation within how it operates. In particular, the resale market has been booming whilst many fashion brands such as Debenhams and Topshop to name a few, have gone bankrupt. Resale is the one market that didn’t collapse. This is mainly due to a shift in consumer behaviour. The generation that contributed to the success of resale is Gen Z. As a generation they have changed since the pandemic, where the majority bought into fast fashion prior to the pandemic, now that majority have completely shifted their buying habits, opting for second hand vintage goods instead, as sustainability has moved to the forefront of their minds.

The pandemic slowed everything down, the nationwide imposed lockdown gave everyone the opportunity to make the most out of this free time. Resale boomed as a result of consumers having more time on their hands, the pandemic pushed the industry forward, as more people opted to clean their closets, and took time to resell their own clothes, thredUP reported (Bouthier, 2022). High street retailers were forced to close which meant that online shopping also thrived. Prior to the pandemic, consumers would shop on the high street but as a result of the pandemic consumers had to shop online instead, as they had no option. However, many people realised that online shopping was also more convenient, and since the return to normality, we have seen the emergence of more fashion brands operating as ecommerce businesses only. In the current living crisis, it seems more logical to run a business online than it does to have a physical store as there are more overheads with a physical store.

Furthermore, resale predominantly gained its popularity through TikTok. The social media platform grew in popularity and became very influential, resulting in many brands relying heavily on the platform to bring in more traffic. TikTok quickly became the platform to influence consumers to buy into trends, the social media platform as such is the reason why resale platforms such as Depop and Ebay have garnered the attention of Gen Z. Of the many things that TikTok has influenced, ‘thrift flipping’ is significant. A term Gen Z coined as the process of buying clothes from thrift stores for the sole purpose of reselling them for a higher price, is one in particular that has gained the attention of Gen Z. What started out as a way of decluttering and getting rid of unwanted clothes became a profitable business opportunity in which Gen Z took on as a side hustle to earn an extra income, Gen Z quickly became the generation which had the desire to create change. Maybe don’t throw away those clothes in the back of your closet, because 80s, 90s, and Y2K trends are coming back, and it’s all thanks to TikTok. Local second-hand stores are reporting increased demand for thrifted pieces from these eras, mostly driven by Gen Z customers. TikTok is not only driving a return to styles some of us would rather forget, it’s also encouraging slow fashion. (Taliesin, 2021)

FIGURE 1

It would be true to say that the resale market has completely changed the landscape of fashion and in turn, consumer buying habits. The industry has shifted from a point where consumers gave little thought about the impact of their choices to the point where they have chosen to become responsible for their actions and create a better future for the industry and the planet. Consumers are more mindful of what they’re buying. They are striving to limit food waste, shop more cost consciously and buy more sustainable options. (COVID-19: How consumer behaviour will be changed, 2020). The pandemic, if anything has put a lot into perspective for consumers, overconsumption is not as much of an issue now because consumers are either switching over to buying pre-loved or they’re simply limiting their spending on clothes. Aswell as the boom in second hand fashion within the resale market, with sustainability in mind, Gen Z consumers have opted to shop with small independent brands of which pride themselves in conscious and ethical design rather than the big fashion houses who aren’t transparent when it comes to their production. Small business owners don’t have the balance sheet to source materials and produce at scale. They must operate small batch productions to meet capital and operational constraints. They cannot afford waste, as simple as that. While fast fashion is all about made-to-dispose, emerging and independent brands generally preach the made-to-last mindset. Customer satisfaction in their niche is the key to their success as opposed to mass consumption models. (Sokmean N, 2021). With regards to the Gen Zers who started off selling second hand vintage on platforms like Depop, a lot of those individual sellers have now moved onto creating their own designs, becoming a part of the chain of small independent businesses ethically producing in the UK, in order to limit the pollution emitted from transport overseas.