The second-hand fashion market is worth more than £33bn today in the USA alone, and with a rate of growth 11 times that of the retail sector, thrift will soon be worth a staggering £77bn.
Yet at the same time, fast fashion is getting ever faster and more throwaway, presenting an increased burden for second-hand retailers, charity shops and developing nations who eventually end up with so much of our discarded clothing. Now, with Fashion Revolution warning about the staggering size of fashion’s carbon footprint, and UNEP reviewing its Fashion Charter to coincide with COP26, the USA’s largest resale platform, ThredUP, has set its sights on the UK and Europe.
The Flock’s Jennifer Crichton last week hosted a discussion with the company’s president, Anthony Marino, at Lisbon’s Web Summit to discuss the true potential of second-hand style, and its threat to topple fast fashion as consumers become more sustainability savvy…