In the context of the digitalization of the fashion industry and global environmental protection, the second-hand clothing market seems to have a promising bright future, especially in Europe.
During the Covid epidemic, large-scale clothing chain stores were faltering, and sales of new clothing products also dropped successively. But consumers’ purchasing power for second-hand clothing is very strong.
Many in the fashion business have already taken note of the younger generations’ appreciation for vintage and upcycled fashion. The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2020 took a deeper look at what is most appealing to both millennials and Gen-Zers as they turn away from fast fashion in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digitization promotes the popularity of “second-hand store”
People can sell or buy it 24 hours a day. French second-hand clothing website Videdressing was established 10 years ago. Bought by Leboncoin in 2018, marked a new stage in its development.
Its competitor Vinted is another second-hand clothing trading website. “Don’t wear it anymore? Then sell it!” is their slogan. Founded in Lithuania, this website has 8 million users in France alone, and 400,000 new products are added every day.
In the beginning, the users of the website were mostly teenagers. Now, website users have covered all age groups. Looking for clothes on Vinted could be endless fun, all kinds of popular elements can be found, and the quality is cheap. Poupular instagrammers and youtubers are posting videos to share their tips of shopping on vinted and showing off their finds, which has attracted more and more active users.
With the coronavirus pandemic, many shops have been forced to close their door during a long period. Leading the fashionistas turning towards to digital second-hand shops. Online shopping platforms like Vinted has been more and more active. The platforms’ success is twofold — it acts like a social media platform that allows users to follow each other and like and share their favorite looks, while also enabling them to create curated collections that are visible to the public.
Protecting the environment is the real motivation
The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry after the petroleum industry. To meet the needs of 8 billion residents, 88 billion pieces of clothing will be produced every year.
French consumers know this. 25% of Videdressing users say they come for environmental protection and humanitarianism.
“I have watched a documentary about the pollution of the fashion industry to the environment. Now, I have tried not to buy new clothes for a year. To be honest, this is a bit time-consuming because I have to search carefully…” 25-year-old Auréli said. “However, I think it is very worthwhile to contribute to the environmental protection.”
With health and the environment taking center stage this year, the pandemic has especially given rise to a keen sense of individual responsibility. Many understand that their consumption is part of the problem when it comes to issues around climate change and sustainable development.
More are more shoppers are turning away from fast fashion and discovering that keeping the planet cool can go hand in hand with dressing cool.
Finance is also a main reason
Finances are also the main reason for consumers as many have lost jobs and their streams of income during the global lockdown. Even Instagram influencers are noting how they contribute to a culture of over-consumption as they reckon with the unrealistic standards they advertise to their audiences.
This trend is not not exclusive for women. For economic reasons, more and more men are joining in. They may not go to the second-hand market often, but every time they buy a lot of them.
快时尚正在“失宠”。相反，法国消费者越来越青睐环保而独特的二手衣服。
在时尚界数字化和全球环境保护的背景下，二手服装市场前途光明，尤其是在欧洲。在Covid流行期间，大型服装连锁店步履蹒跚，新服装产品的销量也接连下降。但是，消费者对二手服装的购买力非常强。
《德勤2020年全球千禧年调查》深入研究了千禧一代最有吸引力的消费方式，在全球被笼罩在新冠病毒的影响下，人们对环境的个人责任感增强，这使得人们脱离了对快时尚的依赖。
数字化促进了“二手商店”的普及
人们可以一天24小时出售或购买。法国二手服装网站Videdressing成立于10年前。 Leboncoin于2018年购买，标志着其发展的新阶段。其竞争对手Vinted是另一个二手服装交易网站。 “不再穿了吗？然后卖掉！”是他们的口号。该网站成立于立陶宛，仅在法国就有800万用户，每天增加40万种新产品。最初，该网站的用户主要是青少年。现在，网站用户已涵盖所有年龄段。
在Vinted上寻找衣服可能会充满无限乐趣，可以找到各种流行元素，而且价格便宜。贫穷的instagrammers和youtubers正在发布视频，以分享他们在vinted上购物的技巧并展示他们的发现，这吸引了越来越多的活跃用户。
由于新冠病毒的流行，许多商店在很长一段时间内被迫关门。引领时尚达人转向数字二手店。像Vinted这样的在线购物平台越来越活跃。该平台的成功是双重的-它的作用就像一个社交媒体平台，允许用户互相关注并喜欢并分享他们最喜欢的外观，同时还使他们能够创建公众可见的精选收藏。
保护环境才是真正的动力
时装业是仅次于石油业的第二大污染工业。为了满足80亿居民的需求，每年将生产880亿件服装。
法国消费者知道这一点。 Videdressing用户中有25％的人表示他们是为了环境保护和人道主义而来的。
“我看过一部关于时装业对环境污染的纪录片。现在，我试图一年不买新衣服了。老实说，这有点浪费时间，因为我必须仔细搜索……” 25岁的奥雷利（Auréli）说。 “但是，我认为为环境保护做出贡献是非常值得的。”
随着今年健康和环境成为焦点，这种流行病尤其引起了人们对个人责任的敏锐感知。许多人都知道，在涉及气候变化和可持续发展问题时，他们的消费是问题的一部分。越来越多的购物者正在远离快时尚，并发现保持星球凉爽可以与衣着凉爽并驾齐驱。
财务也是主要原因
财务也是消费者的主要原因，因为在全球封锁期间，许多人失去了工作及其收入来源。甚至Instagram的影响者也注意到，他们认为向观众宣传的不切实际的标准是如何促进过度消费的文化的。这种趋势并非女性独有。出于经济原因，越来越多的男人加入。他们可能不会经常去二手市场，但每次他们都购买很多时。
