Sustainable Style: Everything you need to know about buying second hand clothes

Jun 29

Second hand shopping and thrifted clothing has become a huge trend that not only benefits people and planet. It allows us to explore our personal style in an affordable manner that reduces the demand for new, which is responsible for the enormous fashion waste that’s in the world.

I stopped buying new clothes around 5 years ago, and started to exclusively buy from second hand sources. Depop, Vinted, eBay, vintage stores, markets - you name it, I’m there hunting out great bargains and thrifted treasures. It began as a way to get control of a spiralling fast fashion habit that was stuffing my closet with clothes that just weren’t my style and burning a hole in my bank balance.

But as I continued along my second hand journey, I learnt more and more about sustainable style and the impact of both the luxury and fast fashion industry on the world and people. It’s truly startling when you realise how an industry designed to be so beautiful can have such an ugly underbelly that they’ve tried so hard to hide over the years.

Unfortunately, second hand isn’t the complete answer to achieving sustainable style or bringing sustainability to the fashion industry. There are good points to shopping second hand, but there’s also the bad and the downright ugly.

So let’s explore one of the most popular ways to embrace sustainable style and dive into everything you need to know about buying second hand.

Everything you need to know about buying second hand clothes

Buying new vs buying second hand: Times are changing

Gone are the days where second hand came with a stigma where people looked down their noses at the low prices and pre-worn items, dismissing them as a dirty shopping option. And it’s about time! There are so many benefits to shopping second hand; from lower prices and finding treasure in someone else’s trash, to discovering stunning vintage ‘one of a kind’ items.

More people are buying vintage and second hand clothing, as backed in Co-op’s report: Twenty Years of Ethical Consumerism. Before the pandemic, charity shop sales had increased four-fold from £133m to £732m in 20 years indicating that it was a source of shopping that was here to stay. And it’s been predicted that the resale market will be worth more than the fast fashion industry by 2030 (Harper's Bazaar) - great news!

The notable rise in second hand popularity has seen a new wave of sustainable influencers and fans who advocate for this sustainable lifestyle, of shopping second hand. Most notably demonstrating how second hand isn't fugly, frumpy, dirty or ‘less than’... It shows how second hand is a great way to embrace your personal style, stay trendy without following ‘new trends’ decided by fast fashion, and look hella cool while wearing someone’s preloved items.

The more I began to explore sustainable style and thrifting, the easier sourcing second hand became and the confidence in my own style grew. I learnt about the fashion industry (including the psychology and habits of consumers) and began to see through the greenwashing and marketing tricks of fashion brands. And once you start to see through their thinly veiled lies, it makes it hard to give them an ounce of your support… let alone your money.

Shop second hand: The sustainable choice when buying fashion

With the growth of both education and accessibility, second hand has finally got the recognition it deserves. Consumers are realising the detrimental impacts of fast fashion and cottoning onto the shady methods used to create the fast, cheap clothing in large volumes. From suffering garment workers who are underpaid and overworked in awful conditions, to the massive environmental impact of the textile industry. Fashion waste impacts our planet, and the lives of those who have to live besides the expanding landfills of clothing that threaten their ecosystem and health.

It’s about time we start shopping second hand as there’s enough clothing in the world to clothe the next 6 generations of the human race, which is absolutely shocking when you really think about it.

We have more than enough. We have more than we need.

But despite this, clothing companies continue to overproduce and are creating more than 1 million garments every day (Greenpeace) and we as consumers continue to over consume. Globally, we consume 80 billion pieces of clothing every year and it’s estimated that more than two tonnes of clothing are bought each minute in the UK (Oxfam).... And each year, as much as 92 million tons of clothing ends up in landfills (TheRoundup).

We’ve sadly found ourselves at the point where fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world… second only to oil (ecowatch).

So what are our options when it comes to sustainably buying clothes?

10 reasons to shop second hand

Let’s delve into why shopping second hand is one of the most sustainable options when buying fashion, and how it can be a big F*CK YOU to the large corporations and brands that continuously churn out more and more clothing, and periodically (and ironically) throw in a greenwashed ‘We Care’ campaign every few months.

1. It curbs demand in the fashion industry:

Fast fashion is unlikely to stop without proper legislation to regulate the industry, and that’s the sad truth. While money reigns over the lives and health of garment workers and the condition of our environment, these unethical fast fashion brands will continue to pop up, churn out clothing and push sales on us. They’re owned by business moguls who know what they’re doing, and they know how to make money.

By shopping second hand, you’re not directly buying from fast fashion brands which means you’re not directly stimulating their sales with your money so they can make even more. Where there is demand, there is supply. And when it comes to capitalism, the supply is HUGE.

2. Someone’s trash is ALWAYS another’s treasure.

You’re making a more sustainable choice as you’re shopping from other people’s preloved items instead of buying new. It’s all about keeping all clothing in circulation.

As previously mentioned, 92 million tons of clothing ends up in landfills (TheRoundup) so to drive it home, think of the equivalent of a rubbish truck full of clothes being dumped on landfill sites every second.

Buying & selling unwanted or preloved clothing will help reduce what’s going into the landfills, extending garment life cycle and embracing a circular economy with fashion. With the amount of clothing already in existence in the world, a circular approach is ultimately what needs to happen.

3. It will save you money.

This is an obvious benefit as second hand clothing is more often than not cheaper than the retail cost. When something is bought new, it immediately depreciates in value. So by buying something preloved, you’re unlikely to pay the cost of it being brand new, which is great when you’re on a budget.

This is especially true when buying fast fashion second hand and exploring charity shops, but there are always exceptions to the rule i.e. charity shops in affluent areas can be more costly and resellers who buy cheap clothing in bulk and hike up prices to make a profit. Some vintage items will be more expensive due to the rich history woven into the fabric and/or the craftsmanship.

A further flipside is the debate over how thrifting becoming mainstream is reducing the quality and quantity of clothing for those on lower incomes who have no choice but to thrift in order to clothe themselves and their families. It’s a double-edged sword as thrifting becoming popular is encouraging reusing on a large scale and spreading the word on the environmental/society cost of new fashion, but the side effect is the reduction of accessibility for those who depend on thrifted clothing.

4. Support charities and local businesses

Charity shops are great sources for second hand clothing, as well as brick n’ brack and furniture. When shopping preloved in charity shops, you’re not only making a more sustainable choice with your consumption… You’re also making monetary donations to a good cause.

And when it comes to thrifting, vintage and thrift shops are generally independently owned so you’re supporting independent businesses who help make up the magic of towns and cities. We all love a local business doing their bit to help reduce, reuse and recycle.

5. Discover your personal style

Avoiding fast fashion trends and the marketing of fashion brands can help you make more considered approaches when it comes to fashion. Fast fashion brands churn out multitudes of garments and micro-trends every week (in some cases, every day) - their marketing and user experience on their websites (or in-store) are designed to capture your attention, get you purchasing and then hook you again to buy more.

Shopping slowly with preloved can help you discover your personal style, which can really help with building a sustainable wardrobe. Shopping second hand is pushing back against the ads and marketing that’s being shoved down our throats, and helping you think more about what you actually like and need.

When you know your personal style, you’re likely to buy more consciously and not make wild, outlandish purchases that you won’t wear. Whether it’s a colour palette, a certain silhouette or a general style, when you know what you love and that you’ll get wear out of an item, consider it a considered purchase.

Knowing what works for you means the temptation to continually buy more will drastically reduce. The purchases you do make will last and you’ll love them so much, you won’t give a damn about outfit repeating.

6. Reducing the impact on the environment

Instead of buying new and buying second hand, you’re embracing the circular economy and ensuring that you’re not stimulating the demand in the fashion industry. The environmental impacts of the fashion industry are quite shocking. Statistics can vary widely and sometimes contradict each other - but we’ve plucked a few statements from the internet below to give you a flavour of the challenges the industry faces. It’s always worth following the data - checking stats and finding their original source.

Buying just one white cotton shirt produces the same amount of emissions as driving 35 miles in a car (WRAP).
Cotton is a thirsty crop that needs a lot of water to grow, and is one of the most chemically dependent crops in the world (ecowatch). In some places, like India, inefficient water use means that up to 20,000 litres of water are needed to produce 1kg of cotton (sustainyourstyle) and the runoff of pesticides, fertilisers, and minerals from cotton fields contaminates rivers, lakes and wetlands. This affects biodiversity directly by immediate toxicity or indirectly through long-term accumulation (WWF).
More than a half trillion gallons of freshwater are used in the dyeing of textiles each year. The dye wastewater is discharged, often untreated, into nearby rivers, where it reaches the sea, eventually spreading around the globe (ecowatch).

These quick stats are the tip of the iceberg. The fashion industry has such a long, convoluted manufacturing chain that it has so many damaging touch points if not approached ethically or sustainably. By buying preloved, second hand clothes you’re reducing the demand from new production.

7. Push back against fast fashion brands who are trying to cash in on second hand

We’re all familiar with fast fashion’s weak greenwashing attempts and empty promises to be more sustainable, but they never address the crux of the issue which is overproduction. They will never reduce production as that ultimately means a dent in their profits. But they’ve noticed that the resale market is threatening their profits.

Some have shown that they're aware of the volume they produce, and how much of their clothing ends up back in recirculation, by launching reselling platforms to capitalise from those who are wanting to sell on their garments. It’s a nod to the fact that they know they make a shit ton of clothes. They want to encourage people to get rid of last season's trends, pocket a commission & encourage you to buy more from them.

Don’t fall for their trap & give them your money AGAIN - use online platforms like eBay, Depop, Thrift+ and Vinted to recirculate your unwanted things. Alternatively, you can also swap with friends and family and explore local charity and vintage shops.

8. The wait makes second hand feel even better

Having next day delivery on fast fashion websites means the mentality of ‘I want it now’ makes buying new far too accessible and easy to buy on a whim. Do you find yourself being Influenced by an ad, haul or email newsletter?

Fast consumption affects the brain. Research shows that dopamine surges when anticipating a new purchase. For some people, this “pleasure” rapidly declines, sometimes as soon as they’ve clicked to make an online purchase, and they need to repeat the process to experience the same “high”.

Fast fashion is designed to keep us chasing that high. So we need to slow down to give these monster brands the middle finger. They don’t want us to think. They just want that cold hard cash, and that repeat business.

By shopping second hand, you’re shopping slower and (hopefully) making more measured decisions as the gratification (purchase) won’t be as instant as so many fashion websites. Sustainable fashion is all about slowing down, and saying goodbye to fast fashion.

9. Second hand is more unique

When shopping preloved and vintage, you’re more likely to come away with looks that are unique and special, with your own stylish twist. It’s unlikely that you’ll find someone wearing the exact vintage jacket or dress as you, so you can be confident that your look wouldn’t be easy to replicate… but hopefully inspire others to thrift and find epic finds just like you.

Thrift store finds will always have the edge over fast fashion items. There’s nothing worse than turning up to an event and seeing others dressed in your same outfit, straight off the homepage of the fast fashion brand that hammered you all with the same ad.

10. Shopping second hand is easier than ever!

When I first began buying preloved, eBay was the place to go and depop was the new kid on the block. Now there are so many online places to source second hand with helpful filters to help you find exactly what you’re after, and better shipping options.

If you’re concerned about things not fitting, always ask for measurements to ensure that you’re reducing the risk that things won’t fit. Or search for brands where you’re confident you know your sizing in their garments.

More vintage shops and second hand markets are popping up so if you prefer shopping in person so you can try on items, you’re spoilt for choice. This is of course dependent on your location and accessibility - which leads us into exploring thrift privilege and how this can affect someone’s means to purchase secondhand.

Second hand clothing: The bad and the ugly

The Bad: Understand thrift privilege & hold judgements on those unable to shop second hand

Although thrifting has quickly become mainstream and many scream from the rooftops to buy second hand, not everyone has the same privilege or access to preloved.

It’s important to remember that everyone’s circumstances differ so you simply cannot judge or lay guilt on those who aren’t able to shop secondhand. Buying second hand and thrifting can be a privilege and we should all remember that not all have the same accessibility.

Financial situation, geographical location, physical and online access, time, sizing - so many factors can come into play. And when there is no sustainable alternative to buying new, who are we to judge when someone on lower income has no choice to go cheap and new to clothe themselves and their family.

We can only hope that legislation comes into play with these endless unethical fashion brands to do something about the fashion industry being the second most polluting industry to oil and gas.

The Ugly: Second hand or new, someone always pays

Although shopping second hand is a great sustainable alternative to buying new, it comes with its ugly side. With the sheer volume of clothing in the world, not all gets recycled or resold, no matter how much we invest in second hand. There is literally too much in the world for all garments to end up back in a closet… so where do they end up?

Tonnes end up in landfills and clogging the waterways and landscape of those in the Global South, destroying their environments and damaging the quality of their lives. Ghana has become known as fast fashion’s dumping ground. The River Volta has been severely damaged from the out of control trade in second hand and fishers come home with more clothes in their nets than fish.

Ghana imports about 15 million items of secondhand clothing each week, all donated from countries like the UK, US and China, to be sold at Kantamanto - the world’s largest second hand clothing market. The huge market has a plethora of familiar high street labels like H&M, Levi, Tesco, Primark, and some items still even have their charity shop tag still attached.

The quality of second hand being passed to Ghana has deteriorated massively over the years. Which means they can’t sell them on or upcycle, and it ends up in landfills or even infiltrating their lives completely. Old Fadama is no longer the vibrant and thriving community it once was. It’s become the largest unsanctioned dump for clothing waste leaving Kantamanto, and the 80,000 people who live there are now having to build homes on layers of rubbish (The Guardian).

The fashion industry, whether it’s new or second hand, always has a high price. Whether it’s the garment workers, the planet or those who are forced to live in the waste the Global North creates, someone or something always has to pay.

The last thing you need to know about buying second hand clothes and sustainable style:

It’s important to remember that shopping second hand isn’t a blanket solution to sustainable style. It’s a great way to BUY clothing, but in order to become more sustainable, it’s all about reducing your overall consumption. And that includes your second hand consumption.

Overconsumption and overproduction is the crux of the issue. It’s what’s clogging the waterways, it’s what keeps people in factories working for pennies, it’s what leads to communities being turned into landfills. Buying second hand can be our little uprising against fast fashion business models, but the volume of waste that’s still being flung into landfills is only getting worse.

Repair, reuse, recycle - all these important approaches to clothing can help extend the lives of our garments and reduce the amount of new purchases. No one is perfect, but taking care of our clothes and fixing where we can is ultimately what we need to pivot to in order to have sustainable style.

It also isn’t on individuals to shoulder the guilt and no one is perfect - it's near impossible to be the perfect sustainability role model. Legislation is needed and governments need to put their foot down, and introduce rules and regulations to both production and workers rights.

We can only hope and pray for a transition to more conscious and ethical consumption, and responsibility being taken by our governments… but in the meantime, every little helps. If we can avoid buying new and consciously consume at a slow pace, then that’s the best practice when it comes to purchasing garments.

Introducing Sophie Saint…

Sophie is a seasoned blogger and favourite friend of Sustainable Fashion Week. She is leading the ReWear Revolution and is the queen of thrifting.

Follow her on insta for tips, tricks and so much inspiration.

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Amelia Twine