Rags to Riches: The Online Rise of Secondhand Clothing

rags-to-riches-the-online-rise-of-secondhand-clothing

Rags to Riches: The Online Rise of Secondhand Clothing 

[[p]]The resale market, a more modern term for second-hand fashion or consignment, has exploded in the last few years. In fact, Global Textile Times reports that the second-hand apparel market is set to reach a whopping $367 billion worldwide by 2029.[[/p]]

[[p]]While the concept of peer-to-peer selling isn&rsquo;t exactly new, and many of us have long been familiar with companies like eBay for some time, a sweeping cultural shift towards [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/podcasts/podcast-114-the-rise-of-sustainable-marketing-laura-costello" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"]]sustainability awareness[[/a]], along with the intentional clearing of clutter, has catapulted the success of platforms like ThredUp, Vinted, Vestiaire, and Depop.[[/p]]

[[p]]But what exactly is the driving force behind the sharp rise of resale, and what impact is this continually growing trend having on digital marketing?[[/p]]

[[p]]In this blog, we&#39;ll explore:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_59392"]]The resale market[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_59394"]]Sustainability and shopping habits[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_59396"]]Key resale players[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_59406"]]Thrifty feats of resale marketing in action[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_84427"]]Final thoughts[[/a]][[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]A report published in 2024 in Belgium by the Journal of Circular economy found that the average person nearly 200 items of clothing in their wardrobes, with one in five garments &lsquo;dormant&rsquo; and never being used. What&rsquo;s more, a study conducted by Oxfam found that, by 2050, the fashion industry is on course to produce 138 billion items of unworn clothes every year.[[/p]]

[[p]]From these jarring discoveries, consumers have slowly started looking to resale platforms like&nbsp;Depop,&nbsp;ThredUP,&nbsp;Vinted, and&nbsp;the RealReal&nbsp;for a cheaper and greener way to buy clothing and accessories.[[/p]]

[[p]]In fact, the clothing resale market was valued at&nbsp;approximately $227 billion in 2024, and is projected to reach over $360 billion by 2030.[[/p]]

[[p]]Consumers across the globe have started to become more conscious and sustainable with their shopping choices.[[/p]]

[[p]]Indeed, a [[a href="https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/news-room/press-releases/2024/pwc-2024-voice-of-consumer-survey.html" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"]]PwC survey[[/a]] shows that despite the rising cost of living and perceived economic instability, consumers are typically willing to pay nearly 10% more for sustainably produced or sourced products.[[/p]]

[[p]]This continual rise in pre-loved or circular shopping is driven largely by Millennials and Gen Z-ers. Indeed, according to Statista, 64% of Gen Z consumers&nbsp;and 55% of Millennial shoppers prioritize brands that show a clear commitment to sustainability. Coupled with the growing popularity of online pre-loved marketplaces like Vinted and Depop, shopping sustainably yet affordably is more accessible than ever.[[/p]]

[[p]]In addition to buying directly from ethical brands, many people are buying and selling clothing on pre-loved marketplaces. To tap into this rising trend, brands like Levi&#39;s, Lululemon, and Patagonia have launched their very own second-hand clothing marketplaces.[[/p]]

[[p]]To capitalize on the rise of the sustainable shopping mindset and create a social media-style [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/why-you-should-prioritize-community-over-content" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline"]]community hub[[/a]], a new breed of resale players has risen to the top of the market, the three most notable being ThredUp, Vinted, and Depop.[[/p]]

[[p]]ThredUp, dubbed &ldquo;the Amazon of resale&rdquo;, is one of the world&rsquo;s largest online consignment and platforms. Founded in Cambridge, MA in 2009, ThredUp is continually committed to&nbsp;modernizing the second-hand market through sustainable practices.[[/p]]

[[p]]The extensive peer-to-peer retail site facilitates seamless selling and shopping, with a dedicated Newsroom packed with insightful content aimed at sustainable shoppers.&nbsp;[[a href="https://www.thredup.com/resale/" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"]]ThredUP&rsquo;s annual[[/a]] resale report&nbsp;also showcases its value as an industry thought leader.[[/p]]

[[p]]Over the past decade, ThredUp has seen steady growth with innovations such as inviting popup stores, a popular[[a href="https://www.thredup.com/fashionfootprint/" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline"]] [[/a]][[a href="https://www.thredup.com/fashionfootprint/" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"]]Fashion Footprint Calculator[[/a]], and a recent rebrand, coupled with platform improvements including AI-powered product discovery.[[/p]]

Fashion footprint calculator. Source: ThredUp

[[p]][[a href="https://news.depop.com/who-we-are/about/" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"]]Depop[[/a]], a slick online resale platform and app headquartered in the UK, started its journey in 2011. Fast forward more than a decade, it has emerged as a resale market leader, boasting 56.3 million users worldwide.[[/p]]

[[p]]Depop&#39;s functionality is also a big plus-point for its community. Users can sell and showcase items or set up a fully-fledged storefront to create a&nbsp;[[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/brand-storytelling-in-the-digital-age" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"]]brand[[/a]] and establish a sustainable source of income.[[/p]]

[[p]]The platform&#39;s ongoing growth lies in its community-driven nature:&nbsp;it&#39;s not just a place for buying and selling, it&#39;s an interactive hub that empowers its consumers to celebrate modern fashion, culture, and sustainable attitudes towards shopping.[[/p]]

[[p]]Depop remains committed to bringing circular fashion to the masses and reaching its impact goals. The brand has also partnered with The Waste Resource Action Program to advance its circular fashion initiatives, and shares regular sustainability education resources with its sellers.[[/p]]

[[p]]The rising consumer clout of the resale market is undeniable. To demonstrate the industry&rsquo;s power and relevance, let&rsquo;s look at two thrifty marketing campaigns, beginning with a savvy use of wordplay.[[/p]]

[[p]]Decidedly stylish, Paris-based marketplace Vestaire Collective is a brand on the rise. While it may not quite hold the market clout of Vinted or Depop just yet, Vestaire Collective&rsquo;s ever-expanding range of luxury pre-loved items is becoming increasingly popular among environmentally-conscious shoppers. To boost brand awareness in the US and international markets, Vestiaire Collective launched a savvy campaign entitled, &ldquo;Parlez-Vous Vestiaire Collective?"[[/p]]

[[p]]Developed with a New York-based agency, the campaign playfully highlighted the brand&rsquo;s French heritage with the overarching question, &ldquo;Do you speak fashion?&rdquo; to address frequent mispronunciations of its name.[[/p]]

[[p]]The campaign ran across connected TV, paid social, and digital channels in the US and Europe. In addition to amusing visuals involving vintage vests and blowing air (get it?) and wordplays based on the brand&#39;s name, the campaign also featured sellers showcasing their wardrobes.[[/p]]

[[p]]Following its initial success, Vestiaire Collective renewed and expanded the campaign in 2025, introducing fresh elements, including a fictional &ldquo;Chief Authentication Officer&rdquo; and deeper storytelling about its global seller community.[[/p]]

"Sustainable fashion is not a trend, it's a responsibility."

[[p]]Reported results from the initial campaign launch included a 57% lift in brand awareness and a 114% increase in media recall, according to Luxury Daily.[[/p]]

Woman looking at an image of a shirt on her laptop. Source: Shutterstock

Vinted's website homepage. Source: Vinted

[[p]]Founded in Lithuania in 2008, Vinted has risen rapidly through the ranks in recent years. In 2025, the pre-loved fashion platform ranked second among leading second-hand apparel online shops in the UK by brand awareness, with 86% of respondents recognizing or actively using Vinted, according to Statista.[[/p]]

[[p]]Vinted has delivered consistent year-on-year growth while continuing its mission to make second-hand the first choice for consumers. As part of this commitment, the brand has introduced an emissions reduction action plan aligned with climate science, focusing on lowering its carbon footprint through more efficient logistics operations.[[/p]]

[[p]]To meet evolving consumer demand, Vinted has also expanded beyond fashion, adding categories such as Kids, Home, Sports, Hobbies and Electronics.[[/p]]

[[p]]Vinted&rsquo;s New Eras Again campaign taps straight into the shifting ways shoppers think about ownership and sustainability. The campaign reframes pre-loved goods as natural companions to life&rsquo;s best-trodden transitions, from moving home to exploring new hobbies, or entering a new chapter of adulthood.[[/p]]

[[p]]New Eras Again presents pre-loved and second-hand items as a practical and meaningful part of changing lifestyles. The campaign&rsquo;s storytelling zooms in on everyday moments of change, showing how items move seamlessly from one person&rsquo;s &ldquo;era&rdquo; to the next, holding meaning all over again and creating a sense of [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-nostalgia-driven-marketing-is-reconnecting-brands-and-audiences" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"]]nostalgia[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]]Vinted uses the campaign to present itself as a multi-category marketplace, expanding into homeware, electronics, books, and hobby items. While it may not be a user-generated content campaign, New Eras Again uses authentic voices through Vinted Curators, creators, and experts who share their perspectives.[[/p]]

[[p]]The project placed Vinted at the beating heart of the digital circular economy, reflecting a generational shift towards more sustainable consumption, where every new chapter begins with something pre-loved.[[/p]]

[[p]]This powerful and emotionally-driven feat of second-hand storytelling has helped to fuel over 530,000 interactions on TikTok alone, while directly contributing to the brand&rsquo;s continual growth.[[/p]]

[[p]]As we become more ethical as consumers, the resale marketing can only go one way:&nbsp;[[em]]up. [[/em]]As retail marketers, using emerging as well as established resale platforms to promote your brand and sell sustainable items of inventory to engaged users is not only an effective way of earning more revenue, but also cementing your reputation as a brand that&rsquo;s committed to a greener, more sustainable future.[[/p]]

[[p]]And, if you&rsquo;re not actively seen as green, you will get left in the commercial dust.[[/p]]

[[p]]There&rsquo;s no better or faster way to break into the digital industry than with a digital marketing certification. DMI&rsquo;s certified and industry aligned Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing will teach you the fundamentals of digital marketing, show you how to leverage AI in your marketing activities and simple ways to cultivate soft skills. You&rsquo;ll also explore key channels such as email marketing, social media, SEO, content marketing, and display and video advertising to execute successful marketing campaigns in any industry.[[/p]]

Rags to Riches: The Online Rise of Secondhand Clothing

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