Fashion or ‘Trash’ion?
Written by: Hannah Stoyanov, Communications Assistant @Threading Change
May 6th, 2025
[5-minute read]
“Your jacket is so cute! Where did you get it?”
“Thanks, I thrifted it!”
This exchange has become increasingly common as the resale market continues to grow at an exponential rate and the stigma around pre-loved clothing steadily fades. As traditional retailers churn out mass-produced items, all following the same sets of trends season after season, there’s something special about finding a one-of-a-kind gem in a secondhand clothing bin. The lack of originality in today’s market has steered young shoppers straight through the doors of thrift stores, eager to embark on the hunt for pieces with personality while turning the experience into a fun social activity with friends. This shift can be seen as a counterculture to the name-brand mania of the past, driven by Gen Z, a generation with an urge to fit in by standing out. While the exact moment this shift occurred is hard to pinpoint, many suggest the Tumblr craze of the 2010s helped romanticize a sense of cool individuality and edgy rebellion (NPR, Sicurella, 2021).
While the destigmatization of secondhand shopping has supported more sustainable consumption patterns, fast fashion has begun to trickle into that space. Some argue that this trend supports circularity by giving pre-loved items a second chance. Others, however, contend that fast fashion was never designed to endure multiple life cycles, and its presence undermines the integrity of the resale market.
Recommerce, the practice of re-entering preloved items into the market, has been heavily associated with high quality and durability, characteristics not usually associated with the fast fashion market. The influx of these items entering secondhand spaces has been received with mixed opinions: some welcome them as deserving of a second chance, while others criticize their presence. While there is merit to both arguments, some suggest that fast-fashion can barely withstand the cycle of an initial market, let alone the conditions of the secondhand space. Addressing the fast fashion crisis is no simple task, but absorbing it into resale spaces may lead to misleading claims of sustainability. To understand the implications of this shift, we first need to look at what’s behind the explosive growth of the secondhand market.
What’s Driving Secondhand Growth?
What sparked the growth of the secondhand market? Climate change worries? The 2008 recession? The influence of Miley Cyrus’s iconic vintage band t-shirt collection in the 2010s? Changes in the cosmos? All valid guesses—okay, maybe not the last one. While these life-changing events may not have directly contributed to the thrifting craze, they all hold a bit of truth.
Conversations around climate change have increasingly entered the general social consciousness, with more and more people becoming aware of how their actions play a part in contributing to sustainability goals and how they can use their purchasing power to align with their moral compass. According to eBay’s 2024 Ecommerce Report, 72% of Gen Z and 70% of Millennials report that sustainability is an important aspect of their decision to participate in the secondhand market on eBay. In addition, the platform reports that the number of sold items “with ‘thrifted’ in the description increased by over 400% in March 2024 vs. March 2023” globally (eBay 2024 Ecommerce Report). This signals the increasing interest and growth potential for this market. In fact, “figures from the consignment and thrift store Thredup suggest that in the next ten years the resale market will grow at a faster pace than traditional retail. It predicts that the secondhand clothing marketplace could be twice the size of fast fashion by 2030” (Forbes, Hardcastle, 2022).
Secondhand shopping is not only seen as more environmentally responsible, but it's also typically more cost-effective. History shows that in times of economic uncertainty, secondhand spaces often see a resurgence, offering a safe haven for budget-conscious consumers (Business Insider, Stewart, 2025). With global economies facing increasing instability, from rising tariffs to geopolitical unpredictability, it’s likely that more people will turn to thrift stores in the near future. The good news? According to the 2024 OfferUp Recommerce Report, 62% of surveyed individuals believe that secondhand apparel provides better quality for the price than new items. (OfferUp Recommerce Report 2024). This aspect not only makes secondhand shopping affordable in economic turmoil, but it also makes it reliable. You can depend on your shoes keeping your feet dry and your jeans not ripping (unless it’s in a cool way).
When it comes to Miley’s influence, it’s fair to say that shifts in celebrity culture have helped normalize and even glamorize vintage shopping, breaking down outdated stigmas and introducing secondhand fashion to new audiences. Fashion icon turned environmental activist? As if we needed another reason to love her. All these aspects have worked in tandem to create the secondhand culture shift we see today.
Fast Fashion Entering Secondhand Markets
As consumers become increasingly aware of the environmental and ethical impacts of their purchases, companies have begun implementing environmentally friendly measures to appeal to this growing market. While many of these initiatives amount to little more than marketing tactics, they nonetheless contribute to the perception that sustainable pathways are widely available and immediate. This can be misleading, causing consumers to believe their purchases can seamlessly enter circular systems and be given a second life. Particularly with items in the fast fashion realm, this is simply wishful thinking.
Not only does this misconception distort public understanding of how viable renewal options truly are, but the belief that resale markets can accommodate all items may be even more harmful if it encourages additional consumption (Vogue, Webb, 2022). As Alanis Morissette would say, fast fashion’s sustainability attempts are nothing but ironic, with their main focus being fast, trendy output that rotates on a weekly or even daily trend cycle (Vogue, Webb, 2022). It’s no surprise that such rapid turnarounds rely on cutting corners, leaving little room for the durability and quality required for circularity, an essential component of genuine sustainable consumption.
Sustainability experts have raised serious concerns, asserting that fast fashion “brands shouldn’t use resale to make sustainability claims unless they are also working towards a degrowth model, which requires reducing output and new consumption” (Vogue, Webb, 2022). This distinction highlights the unique challenges fast fashion poses when entering secondhand markets.
How Industry is Reacting
A consequence of the fast fashion industry’s rapid output is a noticeable reduction in quality compared to more traditional forms of production. This is a key point in understanding the backlash from industry professionals who oppose integrating fast fashion items into pre-loved spaces. If a shirt starts pulling at the seams after it’s only been worn for a few weeks, how is it supposed to last for a second cycle, and who would want to buy it?
Many argue these items pollute and overflow secondhand markets with poor-quality products that tarnish the pre-loved experience and reduce it to nothing more than a yard sale. In fact, luxury resale platforms like Vestiaire Collective have taken steps to address this exact point, banning fast fashion brands from their platform (Vestiaire Collective 2024). This decision reflects both a desire to protect the distinctiveness of high-end resale and a commitment to preserving quality and sustainability standards within the secondhand market. Beyond the issue of poor quality, the trendiness of the fast fashion industry lacks the longevity to withstand secondhand resale, which moves at a much slower, intentional pace.
That said, not all resale platforms take the same stance. Vinted and similar platforms have defended fast fashion resale, stating that any extension of a garment’s life is worthwhile. Fair enough, we should definitely be trying to utilize what’s already out there to the best of our ability. But this mindset isn’t without drawbacks. While encouraging resale and giving new life to old items is important, it can also give the impression that this is a viable pathway for all items, which isn’t true. Fast fashion items, in most cases, weren’t built with longevity in mind, and normalizing their presence in resale spaces risks encouraging overconsumption. If I believe I’ll always have the resale market to fall back on, what’s stopping me from buying that top in a few extra colours?
This mentality is fueled by companies that exaggerate resale as a sustainable solution, shifting the burden of responsibility from producers to consumers and resellers. Now, I don’t knock Vinted and other platforms for trying, but failing to regulate the presence of fast fashion on these platforms could undermine customer satisfaction and trust. After all, “customers need to be confident that the used items aren’t worn out before they’ll hit the buy button.” (The Future of Commerce, Morrow, 2024).
This all begs the question: Who is resale for? Who gets the luxury of quality, and at what cost? With some platforms starkly distancing themselves from the fast fashion industry, it may inadvertently be playing into exclusive tendencies. While secondhand shopping has typically been associated with better quality, the emergence of the fast fashion industry is quickly changing that landscape, no longer making it a guarantee and perhaps disproportionately affecting less economically affluent consumers.
With this in mind, it’s important to recognize that resale is not the issue here; it’s the persistent tolerance for the low-quality output from fast fashion that affects the whole industry.
As Maria Chenoweth, CEO of thrift store Traid, notes, “if these brands really believed in resale, they would improve the quality of their clothing. Otherwise, it’s just greenwashing” (Vogue, Webb, 2022). Overstating resale as a sustainable solution overlooks the root issue of overconsumption and may even encourage it. It’s crucial to reframe our understanding of circularity and demand for increased regulations, especially as fast fashion’s overflow increasingly spills into secondhand spaces and beyond.
Where do we go from here?
The shift towards secondhand markets has largely been a positive development, extending the lifecycle of items in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way. Shifts in social perceptions, along with a growing awareness of environmental and ethical concerns, have fueled this movement. Gen Z and Millennials have been at the forefront, drawn to the affordability, individuality, and quality that secondhand shopping offers, qualities often absent in traditional retail.
However, fast fashion entering this market has become a significant issue. While some have argued that all items should be given a shot at a second chance, others have pointed to the long list of reasons fast fashion was not made to endure a second cycle. Participating in resale is a great thing, but it only works if the things being resold are actually moving within that system. No one wants to buy something they have to get rid of a week later. Framing resale as the primary solution to fashion’s environmental crisis oversimplifies the issue. It shifts the burden of sustainability onto consumers and resellers, rather than addressing the root cause: overproduction.
Resale is not a one-size-fits-all solution to the fashion industry’s environmental toll. Without holding producers accountable for the quality and volume of what they create, secondhand markets risk becoming dumping grounds rather than sustainable alternatives.
To truly shift toward a circular fashion system, we must push for both systemic regulation and a cultural shift away from overconsumption, then can the promise of secondhand truly be fulfilled.
Edited by Luiza Giocondo Teixeira, Communications & Engagement Director & Isabella Hamilton, Communications Assistant
Hannah Stoyanov
Hannah (she/her) is a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Sociology and minoring in Environment and Society. This unique blend has equipped her with a complex understanding of social relations that are rooted in respect, kindness, and building supportive solutions for communities. During her undergrad, she contributed as a member of the Environment and Society Council, demonstrating her commitment to sustainable objectives and environmental stewardship. As a strong advocate for circularity and climate literacy, Hannah has contributed work to publications such as Wear We Are Journal, an independent journal focused on the state of sustainability in fashion. With a deep interest in socio-environmental dynamics, she is dedicated to fostering equitable and sustainable outcomes across multiple scales.
