The Gentrification of Second-Hand Clothing
The Gentrification of Second-Hand Clothing
By: Cat McCloskey & Amber Mosely
Introduction
There were once two fashion seasons per year, one for spring/summer and one for fall/winter. Up until the 1960s, clothes were expensive, and consumers who bought them intended to wear them regularly for a long period of time, at least a year.[1] However, in the 1960s, young people began to embrace cheaply made clothing that followed new trends as they evolved in the short term. Today, there are 52 fashion seasons per year, meaning that in order to stay “in-style” a consumer will need to buy as many pieces of clothing as possible, as quickly as possible.[2] This social shift has encouraged consumers to shop for event-specific outfits that are not meant to be re-worn. Fast fashion brands like H&M, Zara, and Forever 21 are focused on affordable, trendy clothing, and each of these brands release millions of different styles of clothing per year.[3] The meteoric rise of fast fashion has led to significant issues such as unjust labor practices, and catastrophic amounts of waste.[4]
As the problems with fast fashion have become clear and the threat of climate change looms, many consumers have turned to thrifting as an alternative to shopping at fast fashion brands. Consumers view thrifting as a sustainable way to fill their closets with the latest trends. However, the rise in the popularity of thrifting has come with its own unintended consequences. As upper- and middle-class shoppers have turned to thrifting, many companies and individuals have taken advantage of the demand and increased the prices of thrifted and resold clothing, essentially pricing out low-income people who rely on thrifting to fill their wardrobe. This post will focus on the problems posed by fast fashion, how thrifting help alleviate some of those problems, and the gentrification of thrifting.
The Problem with Fast Fashion and the Benefits of Thrifting
Currently, the fashion industry produces 20 percent of global wastewater, and 10 percent of global carbon emissions, making it one of the biggest polluters in the world.[5] The fashion industry is on track to increase its share of the carbon budget to 26 percent by 2050.[6] This is due in large part to the fast fashion business model that bases revenues on selling low quality products at a high volume, which in turn forces retailers to offer new collections every few weeks.[7] The main sources of pollution in the utilization cycle of a piece of clothing are the manufacturing and in the disposal.[8]
Fast fashion retailers rely on the constantly changing trends in fashion to make revenue. When trendsetters like Kim Kardashian West are photographed in, say a neon green latex dress, and neon latex dresses become the hot new fashion trend, fast fashion retailers are able to reproduce the same dress in less than a month, for a fraction of the price.[9] Companies like Zara have a design-to-retail style of about five weeks.[10] The short turn-around is accomplished by using cheap synthetic, petroleum based fibers, treated with toxic chemicals, as well as using unjust labor practices.[11] Because of the cheap material and manufacturing processes, Zara can sell the dress for $40, which is significantly cheaper than the high end designer dress that could retail for hundreds of dollars. Since the focus is placed on low quality/high volume, there is little concern for properly disposing of waste or what toxic chemicals are still on the garment when sold. In 2013, the Center for Environmental Health warned against lead contamination on vinyl and plastic garments, such as purses and wallets, because lead is commonly used to create brighter colors.[12] The Center found that retailers like Wet Seal, Charlotte Ruse, and Forever 21 sold products that tested above the lead safety standard.[13] The Center warned that the lead residue left on these garments posed and significant risk to pregnant women and children.[14]
Throughout the life of a garment, cheap products made out of synthetic, petroleum-based fibers, like polyester or nylon, release microplastics during the washing and wearing of these clothes.[15] In a single load of laundry, 700,000 microplastics can be released, which is roughly equivalent to the surface area of a pack of gum.[16] These microplastics then end up in the oceans, unseen, but damaging the ecosystem and contributing to plastic waste.[17] It is estimated that microplastics make up 1.5 million tons of plastic that ends up in the ocean each year.[18]
Because these pieces of clothing are made so quickly and cheaply, they are not made to last. In 2014, people bought 60 percent more garments than in 2000, but only kept the clothes for half as long.[19] Currently, an estimated 92 million tons of textiles waste is produced globally per year, and it is expected that by 2030, that number will jump to 134 million tons per year.[20] The average American now generates about 82 pounds of textile waste per year, and because many textiles are made from synthetic materials, they will take millions of years to decompose.[21]
The problems caused by fast fashion are clear: the mass production of cheap clothing creates immense waste of resources during the manufacturing process, microplastics during the life cycle of the garment, and in the discarding of the garment after its short life.
Gentrification of Thrifting
To combat the unsustainable clothing industry, many people have started using thrift shops to fill their wardrobe. Over the last five years there has been more than a 1% growth in the industry, which amounts to over 10 billion dollars.[22] This uptick in sales can be attributed to a new outlook on thrift shopping. Thrifting old styles is being seen as more fashionable for younger generations. This is great news for the environment, but it also comes with devastating consequences. Shopping at thrift stores has always been a reliable way for low-income families to buy cheap, quality clothes. Now, these families are seeing their affordable options dwindle as the racks are wiped out by the middle class. This is especially true when it comes to plus size clothing. Ordinary retailers offer a limited selection of plus size clothing and it is often accompanied by a higher retail price. For some, thrift stores are their only option for lager sized clothes. Unfortunately, oversized clothing is often the target of thrift shopping, making the already small pool of affordable clothes over-shopped. The increase in thrifting by wealthy middle- and upper-class people has caused an increase in prices that are charged by thrift stores in order to turn a profit.[23] Between 2010 and 2020, Goodwill changed its valuation guide from using a flat pricing system based on the category of the item, to a scaled system based on the maximum a customer would pay for the item and how it’s priced in retail or other resale markets.[24]
To further the frustration, this trend is also becoming a rising business opportunity for people looking to make a profit. While many businesses are failing, the resale market is booming. The number of resale businesses have grown an upwards of 7% over the last two year.[25] Many of these businesses entice people by offering to buy their used clothes. It seems as if it is a win-win – this is until the original owner sees the resale price of the clothing resale stores paid them cents on the dollar for. Online thrift stores like ThredUp offers Clean Out Kits to its customers, that include large bags that customers can fill with their clothes and send to ThredUp to be resold. Next, ThredUp will sort through the Clean Out Kit and decide what items are able to be resold and at what price. For example, a pair of Old Navy jeans that would retail for $40 would be sold on ThredUp for $11. Based on ThredUp’s payout schedule, the seller of the jeans will only receive 5% of the listing price, totaling $.55. Additionally, if the buyer of the jeans uses a coupon code, the seller’s payout decreases even more.[26]
Not all of the overpriced reselling is done by businesses. Many individuals forage through aisles of thrift shops to find vintage, high-quality, or brand items that they can resell on sites like Depop or Poshmark for a profit. “’Being plus-size means thrifting and never finding shit in your size, just to find out someone named Anna sold an ‘oversized’ sweater from Goodwill for double the price on Depop,’ a woman named Kort on Twitter said.”[27] The new trend markets their resale clothing to the middle and upper-class only. By taking clothes and selling them at prices that rival market value, they have made millions of dollars. This allows quality clothes, that would’ve otherwise been accessible to needy families, to soar above their price range. On its face, the uptick in resale seems like great ways to encourage the reuse of clothing. At its core, it hurts low-income families and prevents them from accessing quality goods at affordable prices.
The result of the trend towards secondhand fashion fits the definition of gentrification. Usually used to describe the changing of the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses, while displacing the neighborhood’s current inhabitants, gentrification can also be used to describe the process of changing the perception of something that was traditionally seen as “unrefined” or “unrespectable” to be more acceptable among the middle and upper class. Thrifting used to be seen as a necessity for low-income people that were unable or unwilling to pay for high prices for clothing. However, the perception of secondhand clothing has shifted from undesirable to become a trendy way to find “vintage” or rare pieces of clothing. The shift is due in large part to social media influencers that post their “thrifting hauls” and brag about the bargains they find on brand name items. Additionally, resellers have found success advertising on TikTok with many thrifting accounts garnering millions of views and followers which only increases the popularity of thrifting.[28]
Conclusion
Ultimately, the future of our environment will be depends more on large corporations (such as fast fashion retailers) and governments than an individual, however it is clear that fast fashion has posed a clear threat to the protection of our environment today which is why consumers have turned to thrifting as a way to fill their closets with trendy and affordable clothing. But consumers need to thrift responsibly so that those that depend on thrifting are not priced out. This can be done by researching where the seller sources their products from and what the mark-up of the product is. Simple practices like these will ensure that second hand clothing remains affordable for all.
[1] Sarah Idacavage, Fashion History Lesson: The Origin of Fast Fashion, https://fashionista.com/2016/06/what-is-fast-fashion (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Putting the Brakes on Fast Fashion, UNEP https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/putting-brakes-fast-fashion (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).
[6] Morgan McFall-Johnsen, How Fast Fashion Emits More Carbon Than International Flights and Maritime Shipping Combined, https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10#the-fashion-industry-is-also-the-second-largest-consumer-of-water-worldwide-14 (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).
[7] UNEP, supra note 5.
[8] Deborah Drew and Genevieve Yehounme, The Apparel Industry’s Environmental Impact in 6 Graphics, https://www.wri.org/blog/2017/07/apparel-industrys-environmental-impact-6-graphics (last visited Nov. 22, 2020).
[9] Terry Nguyen, Fast Fashion Explained, https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/2/3/21080364/fast-fashion-h-and-m-zara (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).
[10] Id.
[11] Jim Zarroli, In Trendy World of Fast Fashion, Styles aren’t Made to Last, https://www.npr.org/2013/03/11/174013774/in-trendy-world-of-fast-fashion-styles-arent-made-to-last (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).
[12] Deborah Blum, Fashion at a Very High Price, https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/20/fashion-at-a-very-high-price/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=2 (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).
[13] Id.
[14] Id.
[15] Denise Chow, Fight against plastic pollution targets hidden source: Our clothes, NBC News (May 5, 2019) https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/fight-against-plastic-pollution-targets-hidden-source-our-clothes-ncna1000961
[16] Imogen E. Napper et al., Release of synthetic microplastic fibres from domestic washing machines: Effects of fabric type and washing conditions, Science Direct (Nov. 2016, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X16307639
[17] Chow, supra note 15.
[18] Id.
[19] Nathalie Remy et al., Style that’s sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula, https://www3.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-formula (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).
[20] Abigail Beall, Why clothes are so hard to recycle, BBC (Jul. 12, 2020, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle
[21] The True Cost, Environmental Impact, https://truecostmovie.com/learn-more/environmental-impact/ (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).
[22] IBIS World, Thrift Store Industry in the US, https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/thrift-stores-industry/ (last visited Nov. 5, 2020).
[23] BER Staff, Rise of Thrifting: Solution to Fast Fashion or Stealing from the Poor? Berkeley Economic Review (Nov. 19, 2019) https://econreview.berkeley.edu/rise-of-thrifting-solution-to-fast-fashion-or-stealing-from-the-poor/.
[24] Goodwill, Valuation Guidetps://www.goodwill.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/donation_valuation_guide.pdf (2010). See also, Goodwill Valuation Guide http://www.goodwillswpa.org/UserFiles/File/Misc%20Files/Donation_Valuation_Guide.pdf (2020).
[25] NARTS, Industry Statistics & Trends, https://www.narts.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3285 (last visited Nov. 5, 2020).
[26] ThredUp, The Scoop on Payouts, https://www.thredup.com/cleanout/payouts (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).
[27] Eliza Huber, Why is Shopping for Plus-Size Vintage Clothing so Hard?, https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/09/10020708/plus-size-vintage-clothing-shopping (last visited Nov. 5, 2020).
[28] @vintagestockreserve, TikTok (last visited Nov. 8, 2020).