How Today's Trends Consumers to Shop Secondhand

BY: CLAIRE WATKISS

In part with being drawn to the buzz of social media, we are subject to scrolling past hundreds of alerts and ads daily. Depending on what your interests are, you may be seeing the newest piece of technology, what recipe to try next, or the latest trend in the fashion world.

When it comes to knowing what to buy and what trend to follow next, it can be hard to keep up amidst the online noise. Some consumers are looking for a quick fix and simply click “add to cart” without thinking twice. It seems that there has been a shift from this mindset toward looking in our own closets. With trends fleeting faster than ever before, there is a push to make do with what we already own. This poses a new opportunity for the world of fashion and sustainability. Online trends such as the “coastal grandmother,” or the resurgence of Y2K fashion do not always require the consumer to shop, but rather encourage consumers to repurpose pieces from thrift stores or an older family member's closet to achieve the look.

Social media has seen an increase in influencers whose pages are solely focused on secondhand fashion. They take their viewers along with them to thrift and create outfits. There seems to be a demand for vintage pieces and a worn-in look, and as a result, buying something brand new is no longer necessary.

If you were to look up the top fashion trends of 2022, you would come across items such as trench coats, crochet sweaters, cropped cardigans, sweater vests, hoodies under blazers, bucket hats, and wide-leg pants. While there will always be certain items from a specific brand that blow up on social media, many of the trends from this past year did not require consumers to go buy something brand new. The biggest trends inspired shoppers to look elsewhere before buying something new. Blue and white striped button-ups, white sweater vests, low-waisted vintage Levi’s, and baby tees were some of the most sought-after pieces.

At the beginning of 2022, ThreadUp, an online resale platform, conducted a survey finding, “sixty-two percent of Gen Z and millennial consumers said they look for items secondhand before buying new” and, “almost half of Gen Z and millennial consumers (46%) consider the potential resale value of an item before purchasing it.”

“Fast fashion” is something that conscious shoppers try to avoid. The life cycle of a fast fashion product rapidly completes itself as it races from production to the dumpster. Consumers preferring to shop secondhand is exactly what the world needs.

Large corporations are doing their best to adapt to the high demand for secondhand shopping. Urban Outfitters One-of-a-Kind Vintage, Patagonia Worn Wear, and Levi’s SecondHand are just a few examples of major retailers adjusting their sales models by implementing resale platforms in order to respond to the growing concern about sustainability.

The new ways in which we are seeing trends interpreted show that there have been significant improvements made in relation to sustainability. While the fashion industry has a long way to go, many influencers are helping to change the behaviors of consumers by promoting secondhand shopping and using what we already own. A larger effort will need to be made by corporations in cutting back on the rapid production rates, but consumers are the most important voice to impact change. By prioritizing sustainable shopping and looking to purchase from secondhand retailers first, consumers can be the driving force behind creating a fashion industry that is deserving of our respect.