Do you shop for second-hand clothes? You’re likely to be more stylish

Louise Grimmer, University of Tasmania and Martin Grimmer, University of Tasmania

Not only is second-hand shopping good for the planet and your wallet, but our new research also finds the more style-conscious you are, the more likely you are to shop for second-hand clothes and accessories.

In the 2020-21 financial year, 72% of Australians purchased at least one item of second-hand clothes – but we wanted to know more about people who were shopping second-hand.

It is often assumed those who shop for second-hand clothes do so to save money or reduce their impact on the environment.

In … Read the rest

Secondhand clothing sales are booming – and may help solve the sustainability crisis in the fashion industry

Hyejune Park, Oklahoma State University and Cosette Marie Joyner Martinez, Oklahoma State University

A massive force is reshaping the fashion industry: secondhand clothing. According to a new report, the U.S. secondhand clothing market is projected to more than triple in value in the next 10 years – from US$28 billion in 2019 to US$80 billion in 2029 – in a U.S. market currently worth $379 billion. In 2019, secondhand clothing expanded 21 times faster than conventional apparel retail did.

Even more transformative is secondhand clothing’s potential to dramatically alter the prominence of fast fashion – a business … Read the rest