For those who really enjoy fashion, there are few sensations like falling in love with a garment after rummaging through a kilometer of clothes racks or among the endless mountains of clothes in a store. The feeling is even greater when the boutique in question is second-hand and specializes in luxury items. Sarah Jessica Parker already said it when, precisely in a vintage store in Madrid, she found the dress of her dreams: “It cost me 30 euros and it’s worth every penny”, she wrote in 2016 on her Instagram . Vintage fashion has long ceased to be an emerging trend. But its growth after the pandemic seems to have no ceiling.
According to the Consumer trends 2022 study carried out by the consultant Samy Alliance, in 2020 some 33 million people bought second-hand clothes for the first time. With regard to luxury, searches for high-end pieces increased by 95.8% in one year, consolidating themselves as an alternative to excessive consumption. As the aforementioned report highlights, the reuse of garments and their sale has prevented the emission of some 52 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere by the industry.
The experience of buying vintage luxury today becomes a necessity due to the climate emergency and the younger generations are clear about it. In fact, second-hand fashion is expected to account for 27% of the wardrobe of the members of generation Z this year.
Given the relevance that this type of consumption has acquired in recent years, the world’s largest cities have built their own temples for luxury pilgrims. The store in Soho in New York, What goes around comes around, is already historic, where celebrities such as Beckham themselves or the Hadid sisters go in search of treasures from another time. And what about Paris, the cradle of luxury in Europe, which has dedicated an entire neighborhood —Le Marais— to second-hand luxury fashion. For hunters of unique and high-end vintage pieces, Milan becomes a mandatory stop, with iconic stores such as Vintage Delirium, Cavalli e Nastri or L’Arabesque CultStore.
And beyond physical stores, the vast world of the internet increasingly has more online storefronts for this type of consumption, with Vestiaire Collective, The Real Real, Watchfinder and Micolet as leaders in a million-dollar market.
Despite the fact that it may seem detrimental to the big luxury houses, the entry of their items from past seasons into the second-hand industry helps the firms to approach new audiences, add value to their pieces and give them a new life, even eternity, to its most exclusive items.
There are many firms that have launched to create their own circular platform to buy and resell their pieces. And it is that some luxury pieces are so desired and sought after that their price increases over time. The jewel in the crown in this area is undoubtedly the Hermès Birkin, a model that at auction and depending on its year of manufacture can sell for 90% of its initial value. They are followed by Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Bottega Veneta, according to the Clair report. For true hunters, buying vintage not only helps the planet, it can also be an investment for the future.
