Prices ramping up as secondhand fashion gains momentum

Second-hand clothing consumers are still willing to pay more for sustainable fashion compared to fast fashion, despite rising prices.

A Wellington vintage store owner says the growing popularity of secondhand clothing is due to people being more aware of sustainability.

“In this generation, people being conscious of fast fashion and environmental impact is definitely more apparent, vintage is cool and trendy but it's also so relevant,” says Mikey Björndotter, owner of Preloved Charlies.

The global secondhand clothing market, estimated to be worth about $157 billion in 2023, is growing by more than 20% annually within the vintage clothing category.

However, surging demand also means surging prices as vintage clothing becomes more mainstream due to the ‘trend cycle’ it is now caught up in.

The average price of a Preloved Charlies camisole top is anything between $40 and $70, compared to fast fashion company Glassons whose new camisoles range between $20 and $35.

Björndotter has noticed that the growing trend of vintage clothing still reflects that customers would rather pay more to shop sustainably than shop fast fashion.

“With Greta Thunberg and her climate change protests emerging in recent years, this generation has become a lot more fashion conscious.”

Fashion student Beautienna Gamble said she would rather pay the extra to shop consciously.

“I would definitely rather pay more for sustainable secondhand clothing, there’s generally just terrible ethical practices in the fast fashion industry.

“By buying second hand and investing you can not only find some really cool unique pieces but also lessen your personal contribution to negative impacts.”

LISTEN: 'Preloved Charlies' owner Mikey discusses why consumers are opting to shop sustainably