Second Hand Fashion

Second Hand clothing has taken the world by storm and might actually help sustainability in the fashion industry. The U.S. secondhand clothing market is currently worth $28 billion and is expected to triple in value in the next 10 years. However it is not just a fast growing market but also could potentially immensely alter the popularity of fast fashion. Researchers believe with the current trends there is substantial potential to redirect the fashion industry into a more environmental friendly direction.

Recently, thrifting has become immensely growing in popularity especially, among individuals of Generation Z, there are multiple reasons for the rise of thrifting, rise of older trends like small shoulder bags or low rise jeans, the fast fashion industry and especially the treatments of their workers, however a large piece of the growing popularity are Generation Z are known to be more concerned and vocal about about climate change compared to older generations. For fashion more ethical brands are becoming a go to in the generation Z fashion purchase. 

Thrift stores now serve as the environmentally friendly and ethically conscious option of consumers today who do not have the resources to buy from the more ethical brand because of their price. The rise of thrifting entails an increase in donated materials which prevents more waste from being produced. Less than 1% of materials used to make clothing are currently being recycled into new clothing. In conclusion thrifting has increased in popularity for many great reasons that are ethically and environmentally friendly, hopefully this interest will continue to be on the rise in the future and we can start to see a change in the fast fashion industry and the environmental impact in the fashion industry.

By: Willow Kroger