Is Thrifting Making a Comeback? // Law and Entrepreneurship // Blog Network // University of Notre Dame

I know y’all are tired of my retail/fashion posts, but…..

Apparently, Millennials are putting their money where their mouth is. Studies show that shoppers are shifting from fast fashion stores like Zara and Forever21 to online consignment shops. The article calls the online thrift stores “resale disruptors“. Thredup, The RealReal and Poshmark, the three leading resale disruptors, are said to have raised $130 million, $173 million and $153 million in funding to date.

This new practice to buy clothes that are already part of the fashion cycle confirms the objective of sustainability. For the past 5 years, this generation has become accustomed to only wearing articles of clothing for 1-5 wears. This fueled stores like H&M and Forever21 to mass produce clothing. However, if these online thrift stores continue to attract the attention of millennials, they could put a stop to the overproduction of clothes by fast fashion giants–a sustainable alternative to a wasteful practice.

Online thrifting is just one of many disruptive innovations that are fueled by public opinions.

“A way to satisfy a social media-driven constant desire for newness without contributing to the negative environmental impact of buying disposable fashion from companies like Zara, H&M and Forever 21.”

Side note: Who else shops at thrift stores for fun and not for sustainability?

4 thoughts on “Is Thrifting Making a Comeback?”

Shandice, I love the fashion posts. As a consumer, I can definitely see the shift to recycling clothing. Allowing yesterday’s discards to become an investment in future pieces is really attractive to fashion lovers. Like you said, a great and sustainable alternative to a wasteful practice!

This article discusses fast fashion and the need for immediate gratification. Fast fashion is a consequence of social media platforms, like Instagram, and reinforces the desire to “see now, buy now.” Because consumers are buying extraneous items, consignment stores like Vestiaire, the RealReal, and ThredUP are experiencing major growth.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/fashion/farfetch-gucci-designer-delivery.html

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I don’t get tired of fashion posts! That said, I have tried Poshmark and a couple of the other online second-hand places. I had great experiences!

I’m also all for the fashion posts! I found this article compelling. I completely agree that there is a desire for “newness” affecting the choices of today’s consumer. I wonder what effect the online thrift retailers’ success is having on brick and mortar stores. I think with something like thrifting it might be appealing to have a form of disconnect from the clothing; by buying online, you forget that this is something that has been used by others (if that is a consideration for some people).

I was also intrigued by the chart’s emphasis on subscription and rental clothing. More and more I hear about people using services like Rent the Runway, particularly to get clothing for special occasions. It seems to me that for a consumer who values being “on-trend,” the ability to acquire new clothing while not paying for each individual piece would be quite appealing.

I hate that I’m so poor, but I love disposable clothing! I wish I had the ability and drive to just buy a few things, I think I will actually make more of an effort once I leave law school. Right now, I think 95% of my things come from physical thrift stores, and the remaining 5% is from a disposable store (Wetseal, Forever21) or Target.

Mylinh Tran on April 9, 2018 at 8:29 pm said:

Shandice, I love the fashion posts. As a consumer, I can definitely see the shift to recycling clothing. Allowing yesterday’s discards to become an investment in future pieces is really attractive to fashion lovers. Like you said, a great and sustainable alternative to a wasteful practice!

This article discusses fast fashion and the need for immediate gratification. Fast fashion is a consequence of social media platforms, like Instagram, and reinforces the desire to “see now, buy now.” Because consumers are buying extraneous items, consignment stores like Vestiaire, the RealReal, and ThredUP are experiencing major growth.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/fashion/farfetch-gucci-designer-delivery.html
Laura Hollis on April 9, 2018 at 9:24 pm said:

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I don’t get tired of fashion posts! That said, I have tried Poshmark and a couple of the other online second-hand places. I had great experiences!
Katherine on April 10, 2018 at 12:48 pm said:

I’m also all for the fashion posts! I found this article compelling. I completely agree that there is a desire for “newness” affecting the choices of today’s consumer. I wonder what effect the online thrift retailers’ success is having on brick and mortar stores. I think with something like thrifting it might be appealing to have a form of disconnect from the clothing; by buying online, you forget that this is something that has been used by others (if that is a consideration for some people).

I was also intrigued by the chart’s emphasis on subscription and rental clothing. More and more I hear about people using services like Rent the Runway, particularly to get clothing for special occasions. It seems to me that for a consumer who values being “on-trend,” the ability to acquire new clothing while not paying for each individual piece would be quite appealing.
Katelyn on April 10, 2018 at 1:46 pm said:

I hate that I’m so poor, but I love disposable clothing! I wish I had the ability and drive to just buy a few things, I think I will actually make more of an effort once I leave law school. Right now, I think 95% of my things come from physical thrift stores, and the remaining 5% is from a disposable store (Wetseal, Forever21) or Target.