Not for new clothing, however, this hasn’t been a wonderful year. At the beginning of the epidemic, in April, expenditure on fashion fell by a record 79%. Those of us who were lucky enough to work from home had no need to acquire anything extraneous during these uncertain times, let alone go shopping for new clothing. The lone exception was loungewear, and sweatpants are still in high demand.
We didn’t “need” new clothes this year, but that wasn’t the only reason. Fashion has lost part of its lustre as a result of a perfect storm of issues. When consumers’ spending fell, brands tried to make up for their losses by cancelling orders with their manufacturers, which led to a crisis for garment workers in the developing world. Four million Bangladeshi workers were jobless and in danger of becoming hungry. By June, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, fashion was compelled to acknowledge its institutional racism. The sector has made little headway in reducing its environmental effect, despite its PR efforts, and the climate problem has now reached a critical stage.
You might excuse the considerate customer for needing a break from it all. Spending is increasing once again, but consumers aren’t purchasing the same way they used to, and the sector won’t fully recover for some time. According to Boston Consulting Group, lost revenues in 2020 will total $640 billion. Where will people go when they are eager to purchase once more is still a mystery. Having seen the flaws and excesses of the established system, would they develop a newfound interest in sustainable brands? Or will they go for pre-owned, vintage, and thrift store apparel as they like what already exists?
An increase in interest in worn clothing was verified by Lyst’s annual Year in Fashion report, a data-heavy distillation of the most popular brands, items, individuals, and movements of the previous 12 months. More than 35,000 new searches for “vintage fashion” were made on Lyst in September, when many of us were considering our autumn outfits, and entries for keywords relating to secondhand goods rose by 104%. Even searches for “vintage,” “secondhand,” or “pre-owned” wedding gowns increased 38% among brides organising socially remote nuptials. Searches for “vintage wedding dress” increased by 297% in the 48 hours after Princess Beatrice walked down the aisle, according to Lyst, suggesting that many were motivated by the antique Norman Hartnell gown she wore to her July wedding.
Future luxury companies will undoubtedly develop their own Second Life-style marketplaces where they would buy back products from customers in exchange for money or credit and then resale them as antiques. The present business model is linear in many ways: Once a brand sells you a product, you are now responsible for it, not the brand. And that’s not good for the environment since many of people still dispose of old clothes in the garbage, even if it’s in good shape, and the majority of it won’t degrade in a landfill. But it’s also a squandered opportunity for income.
It’s reasonable to believe that the majority of high-end consumers don’t discard $3,000 purses in the garbage. The idea makes sense for high-end products that hold their worth, but if the apparel is of sufficient high quality, it may also apply to modern and fast-fashion names. The most practical used purchase is probably not a polyester blouse because it probably wouldn’t last several “lives.” The companies who make the most of gorgeous, long-lasting components and construction are best positioned to support the circular revolution.
However, the pre-owned movement isn’t only about “being sustainable” or causing less harm; there are a lot of other benefits as well. One is that there are now more clothing labels, e-commerce sites, and items available than ever before, and a lot of it shares a similar aesthetic. Additionally, we are no longer restricted by distance; whether you reside in Kentucky and desire a dress from Italy, China, or Australia, you can obtain it in a few days. Therefore, vintage, thrift, and upcycling are your best bets if you want a garment that is genuinely distinctive—one that others won’t see “coming and going” on the street.
The trend towards vintage and secondhand clothing may be due to a desire for less-obtrusive clothing in a year that has seen unprecedented unemployment and several businesses close. The 20-year-old coat you fell in love with at a vintage shop has the extra advantage of making a more subdued statement, whereas it doesn’t exactly feel proper to wear a big logo or head-to-toe runway outfit right now.
According to Farfetch’s Belloli, “the opportunities we can create in this space with technology and data are limitless.” “I anticipate that this will become more pertinent and significant, and a larger portion of the revenue generated by every company. It’s already happening in other industries, including the auto sector. Brands must begin to appreciate what they have already sold more.
A word of warning: Just like sustainability, Maxine Bédat of the New Standard Institute, a research tank focused on the environmental impact of fashion, is concerned that the phrases circular, secondhand, and upcycling are already being misappropriated by firms indulging in obvious green-washing. Deadstock cotton is just utilising an old fabric; it is not an example of upcycling, despite what many designers may have you believe. According to studies published by NSI, when we assume something is recycled or is described as “circular,” we actually consume more of it. The anticipated market expansion (read that again: $64 billion) will only increase firms’ eagerness to join the trend and develop eye-catching marketing campaigns around their initiatives.
Bédat enthuses, “I love that secondhand has become not just accessible, but cool.” The people in Accra, Ghana, were undoubtedly some of the best-dressed I have ever encountered when I went there to check out the secondhand markets. Many people there purchase used items because they desire uncommon items. It’s great that more people are becoming aware of this idea and that businesses are joining in by adapting their business strategies. Having said that, we must not simply disregard the findings demonstrating that recycling symbols increase consumption. It must be [done] as a shift in the business model rather than merely a new source of money if we are to genuinely reduce our effect.
Other significant adjustments would be necessary to accommodate that transition, including maybe producing fewer new goods. Promoting circularity doesn’t really fit with constant new arrivals, and a “fewer, better” strategy may result in more opulent, higher-quality products with longer lifespans and value retention. This year, almost all designers expressed a wish to focus on sustainability, produce less, and only design things they really believe in. While these concepts seem wonderful on paper, they could be challenging to put into practise in a business that depends on expansion. These are significant adjustments that would necessitate new KPIs and bottom lines that place more emphasis on sustainability, adaptability, and environmental impact than on immediate financial gain. We can only hope that 2021 will move the conversion from words to deeds.
