The booming apparel resale market is encouraging news for the fashion industry, consumers and the environment. Read More. It may take a moonshot to rebuild a crop-to-garment fashion economy in the United States. Indeed, by most accounts, secondhand markets are flourishing.
One of the most aggressive estimates, from CapitalOne Shopping Research, shows that resale has skyrocketed by percent in the U. Traditional thrifting and donation-based resale also grew, although by a lesser, yet respectable, 21 percent.
Textile waste, for example, rose by 50 percent between to , according to the U. As it keeps materials out of landfills, the online fashion resale economy also carries low overhead for businesses and attracts price-aware shoppers. Patagonia, Dr. Martens, Eileen Fisher and dozens of other brands are increasingly leveraging online storefronts as a core strategy to extend the lives of their jackets, boots and blouses.
Over the past half decade, third parties have cemented their niche within this growing ecosystem. In addition, textile and waste regulations emerging in California and New York are driving urgency and even creating new business opportunities. All of which is hopeful news for a sector that created billion garments in β twice as many as in β 40 percent of which went unsold, according to the United Nations Environment Program.
Resale shines in what is an otherwise dim fashion industry landscape. A shift in consumer mindset, especially among young adults, as well as evolving e-commerce and machine learning tools, has birthed a resale renaissance of sorts, according to Cynthia Power, owner of apparel consultancy Molte Volte in Ossining, New York. The number of brands selling their apparel online grew from 36 in to in , according to Statista. Outdoor brands hung resale e-commerce shingles earlier than others.
