Busts & Booms of Sustainable Fashion
Fatma Qureshi, Design by Srilakshmi Varma
Many influencers glamorize and attempt to persuade the public to purchase excessive amounts of fast fashion on social media. Despite their efforts, a shift in consumer attitudes has emerged. Over the past few years, there has been a growing trend of people buying pre-owned clothing, manifesting the rapid growth of the secondhand clothing industry (Enström, 2023). Moreover, since the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, the economic situation in the vast majority of countries has changed, mostly for the worse. This begs the question: Has inflation and the economic situation in Sweden affected the boom of the secondhand industry?
It's no secret that pre-owned clothing has been on the rise. In 2021, the secondhand market increased globally by 28%, and it's predicted that the sales of secondhand clothing will double by 2027 (Hirji, 2023). Several popular Swedish second-hand chains have reported an impressive increase in sales, such as Erikshjälpen increasing sales by 16% and Röda Korset by 20% in 2022 (Enström, 2023). Furthermore, the popular secondhand store Myrorna has seen that new types of customers have appeared in their shops due to having less money. This increase has not only happened in big cities but also in smaller cities, countryside areas, and cities with a large population of students, such as Uppsala and Lund (Enström, 2023).
This necessitates a deeper look at this phenomenon; is the emergence of slow fashion and secondhand clothing due to trendiness and climate awareness or a sign of financial distress? Due to a lack of verifiable studies examining causal links between inflation, environmental concern and the rise in popularity of used clothes, it is not possible to say which phenomena has the larger impact. However, the importance of both is undeniable, and it becomes crucial to consider what measures would solidify second hand stores as a staple of the fashion industry, escaping the fate of a short-lived trend.
Even though the secondhand market is a rising star in the fashion industry, this has not always been the case. Previously, secondhand clothing was taboo and mostly bought by people on a budget, such as students, larger families, and seniors (Weibull, 2019). This stigmatized buying used clothes, associating secondhand stores with poverty and a lack of social class. The previously discussed and well-documented boom in second hand sales goes hand in hand with the disappearance of these preconceived notions, to the extent that shoppers wanting to appear unique and socially conscious will choose to spend their money in secondhand stores regardless of their economic status.
Charities and other religious organizations had already begun the collection and reselling of used clothes as a way of raising funds for their causes in the early 20th century, but thrift stores first reached real popularity after the Great depression in the 1930s, as a response to a lower income status of the American population (Goodfair, 2023). We see this trend being repeated now, a century later. Thrifting has been on the rise for the last decades, but the industry has not seen a boom like the current one, in which personal finances may play a big role. The economic situation of surging inflation, increased interest, and rising food and electricity prices has affected people's lives in many countries, including Sweden. Consumers become more price-sensitive and are likely to cut back on spending, budgeting wherever necessary (Westberg, 2022). Finding cheaper alternatives to necessities becomes a holy grail, and the secondhand market emerges as their best option for goods like clothes. But is the current economic situation really the major driver of this change? How could it be, if previous financial crises did not have similar effects on the industry, even though people were suffering as much then as they do now.
Maybe secondhand clothing has become more available than ever by entering the online market. Besides being found exclusively in physical stores, pre-owned clothes can now be bought through websites, social media, and mobile apps, making the process convenient and simple. By utilizing the same algorithms fast fashion stores use, secondhand companies have now become serious competitors of already existing clothing companies—forcing many of them to implement secondhand principles in their own stores as well, such as secondhand sections and repair centers. The secondhand market is now not only ethical but profitable as well.
The rise in popularity of pre-owned apparel seems to be more than just a passing fad; it indicates a significant shift in consumer behavior and societal norms (Ecster, n.d.). The expansion of the secondhand market, especially within the younger generations such as gen Z, hints at secondhand clothing becoming part of a lifestyle rather than a trend (Mårtensson, 2023). As economical and ecological challenges remain, cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternatives will always be attractive to diverse customer groups. The shift from fast to slow fashion has had a broad impact, reaching people all around the globe, including Sweden. This transition is not only a response to economic uncertainty but signals a broader cultural shift towards consciousness and uniqueness, challenging not merely ancient ways of consuming but of being as well.
Sources:
Ecster (n.d.) Sex av tio svenskar handlar begagnat – var femte köper mer i dag mot ifjol, Ecster. Available at: https://www.ecster.se/om-oss/press/sex-av-tio-svenskar-handlar-begagnat---var-femte-koper-mer-i-dag-mot-ifjol (Accessed: 28 November 2023).
Enström, T. (2023) Rekord för second hand-försäljning över Hela Sverige, SVT Nyheter. Available at: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/ost/rekord-for-second-hand-forsaljningen-over-hela-sverige (Accessed: 12 November 2023).
Goodfair (2023) The history of Thrift Shopping: Exploring the origins and evolution of thrift shopping, Goodfair.com. Available at: https://goodfair.com/blogs/nonewthings/he-history-of-thrift-shopping-exploring-the-origins-and-evolution-of-the-thrift-industry (Accessed: 28 November 2023).
Hirji, Z. (2023) Inflation is helping drive a boom in secondhand fashion, Bloomberg.com. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-05/inflation-is-helping-drive-a-boom-in-secondhand-shopping (Accessed: 12 November 2023).
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