How will Gen-Z’s love for sustainable fashion impact the fashion world?

The rise in second-hand clothing is impacting what we wear and where we buy it from; could this change the way fast fashion brands have to work?

The boom of sustainability is changing the fashion world- gone are the days when it was shameful to shop secondhand. Now, giving clothes a second life is one of the coolest things you can do.

By 2029, the fast fashion market is expected to grow by 20%. The second-hand market, on the other hand, stands at 185%. 

This rise in sustainable fashion is changing how major retailers work, creating more jobs and businesses, and changing the way consumers shop.

The fast fashion industry produces 100 billion garments per year- of this, 92 million tonnes end up in landfills. By the end of the year, this is expected to reach 132 million tonnes. 

It’s no surprise that, following the scary statistics, consumers are beginning to switch to buying secondhand and reusing clothes that already exist.

Sustainable ways of shopping offer a chance to get unique, one-off pieces that appeal to people carving out their own sense of style.

In an effort to explain sustainability in the fashion world, Kylie, 22, said: “I worked for Fashion Revolution and Wear Your Origins, which are sustainable fashion companies based in Greece, on women who have been sexually trafficked and refugees. A lot of time and effort go into creating a sustainable fashion line compared to fast fashion. It can take up to a year to find sustainable products and designers. The quicker turnaround of fast fashion is very unreliable, and it comes with underpaid, overworked women.”

Consumers aren’t the only ones seeing the benefits in secondhand fashion- business and tech owners are also honing in on the gap in the market. 

Average people flog their old clothes on Vinted for extra money, but some people have created careers out of it. Knowledgeable fashion business owners spend hours scouring the internet and charity shops for vintage and designer pieces, authenticating them and reselling them to other consumers, all found in one handy online place. 

Whilst studying and working, Luke, 23, found a way to make extra money by selling old clothes (amongst other items). He said: “I sell mostly my own clothes, but I’ve bought good quality items from charity shops and sold them online too. A lot of people buy secondhand and buy in bulk, and are more inclined to buy designer stuff secondhand because it’s cheaper but still great quality.”

“Platforms like Vinted have impacted how people view secondhand items, it’s not embarrassing anymore, it’s cheaper, and a good way for people to buy trendy, vintage items, like Y2K clothes.”

Although resale can be an incredible way to find one-off pieces you would never have otherwise, the resale market is also full of people finding items of clothing, often from cheap retailers like Shein, and upselling them. What would retail for £5 can be sold for three times the price as ‘vintage’ and ‘unlabelled’. 

It’s better for clothes to be resold than go into landfill, however, it leaves customers feeling cheated and wary of buying from resellers. Fast fashion, at least, is transparent about the price and fabric, although not about it’s origins and ethics.

Aside from the prices and quick delivery, another reason fast fashion is so popular is how easy it is to find specific pieces you want. People spend hours scouring through different second-hand sites and charity shops, trying to find a good pair of jeans or a leopard print top. 

The ease of simply googling the item you want and having multiple fast-fashion options pop up is appealing to many consumers. 

Oliver, the founder of the app Faircado, saw a gap for this in the secondhand market and created a place where you upload a picture of the item you want, and Faircado does the work for you: “We partner with different marketplaces, like eBay and Vinted, they give us access to their data and we bring it into one place so it’s neat and we’re then able to pull relevant results from all these different marketplaces so when someone searches for something it’s all in one place.” 

When asked why focus on second-hand clothing, he said: “Tonnes of clothes are being produced per day and the waste from an environmental perspective is insane- everything being produced can be used again, and there is a stigma around it. But older clothes tend to be better quality and last for longer.”  

Whilst Oliver still believes people will continue to use fast fashion retailers for basic clothing items, he thinks apps like his will encourage people to search for more unique, fun pieces as it makes shopping second-hand a lot easier. 

Whilst sustainability is better for the planet and encourages mindful consumption, there is no denying the ease of fast fashion, and for some people who don’t have time to scour charity shops in hopes they’ll get lucky, it’s all they can afford. 

Major retailers like ASOS and Nike have started their own reselling platforms in an effort to encourage sustainability, so you can still shop big brands without contributing to landfill waste.

The slow rise of sustainable fashion is paving the way to better quality clothing, more jobs, and a healthier planet, but fast fashion brands will need to take accountability and reshape their lines if they want to continue to succeed.