Pre-loved: Fashionable, Affordable, Sustainable

The current buzzword in the fashion industry is pre-loved clothing and accessories. From European markets to South Asian ones, thrift stores are popping up left, right and centre. Recent reports suggest, Italian luxury brand Prada is looking to foray into the pre-owned luxury market. Earlier, French conglomerate Kering and its star brand Gucci had also formed partnerships with Vestiaire Collective and The RealReal, respectively.

History tells us, during the 14th century in Europe, few people could afford buying new clothes due to their one-of-a-kind making process, resulting in exorbitant pricing. As a result, many would opt for flea markets for clothing needs. The rise of fast fashion brands resulted in the markets’ slow death. However, the ongoing conversation about conscious shopping has revived the popularity of pre-loved items.

Unlocked during the lockdown

As the pandemic encouraged sustainable living, Saritoria, a community for connecting buyers and sellers of pre-loved, South Asian luxury outfits got conceived during the lockdown. With a collection comprising Indian designers’ clothes such as Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi, and Anamika Khanna, the founders — Shehlina and Omar Soomro, and Pernia Qureshi — aimed to loop in South Asian ethnic couture into circular fashion for longer shelf lives. “Given 85% of textiles end up in landfills or are incinerated, it was shocking to discover that unlike for western wear brands, there was no easily accessible solution to extend the life of ethnic wear garments, and so Saritoria was born,” said Shehlina. Ranging from ₹1,500 to few lakhs, their couture pieces are sold at 50% below the original price.

For the love of everything vintage

For Pune-based Shreya Jain, it was her love of vintage clothes that gave birth to her Insta store — Good Old News (GON). While studying in Milan, Jain started selling some of her own collectibles on a depop shop, carefully handpicked and curated from Italian flea markets. As she returned to India after the lockdown, she started selling her items online. “Through the whole pre-loved clothing culture, you can give clothes another life. Also, second-hand clothes are available at much lower price,” says Jain. She informs, vintage shirts are her hottest selling items among her target audience that falls between the age group of 20 to 45.

Destigmatising: the road ahead

While, in India, the pre-owned luxury market took shape in the 2000s, many looked down upon second-hand clothing. HR professional Dipasha Patil, who has been buying second-hand clothes since she was 12 years old, recently took to her Instagram page to sell some of her pre-owned luxury products ranging from Versace to Dior. “I got into this to support sustainability and to normalise wearing second-hand clothes,” shares Patil. The speed at which her products were sold out is a testament to how social media is making the trend more acceptable and hip.

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