Why I Don’t Mind Buying Second Hand Clothes

If you have a sibling, especially an older sibling, wearing second hand clothes is probably not a new idea for you. Oddly for me, although I was the older sibling, there was a time in the life I realised I am going to be smaller and shorter than my younger sister and accepted this truth. The good thing about that was the access to hand me ups!

Lately, there has been a lot of push towards more sustainable shopping habits due to the environmental impact of fast fashion. Other than using and wearing the clothes you already have, shopping second hand is probably the most sustainable way to go about it. The attitude towards second hand shopping isn’t exactly taboo free. I grew up in middle class India where buying second hand items is unheard of. Similarly, unless you are wearing a family member’s second hand clothes, wearing a stranger’s second hand clothes is also unheard of. Most of the time, people around me would not consider buying clothing second hand. Also, unlike New York where vintage shopping is quite popular this hasn’t really been that mainstream in London or India.

This was my attitude as well. Then I really had a good think about why we perceive second hand clothing as gross, unsuitable or dirty while first hand fast fashion is not. So this is why I don’t mind buying and wearing second hand clothes at all:

First Hand Does Not Mean its New or Unworn

A secret I learnt from my stylist sister is that almost everything you buy in a store, even if first hand, has probably been worn by someone else before you. This is either because someone (or rather a lot of people) has tried on that item of clothing. Also, more often than not, these clothes were provided on courtesy for TV shows and movies and worn by the actors on it. So what you believe is new and unworn is probably not so.

Outfit details: cropped jumper from Rokit (second hand), white jeans from Sezane (similar), white sneakers from Adidas.

(This even extends to shoes since the soles of shoes are taped up to ensure it looks new even if its been worn by actors on a show!)

Better Quality

It might sound strange but most of the time second hand clothing is of better quality than the first hand clothing you buy. Let me explain. Now even most fast fashion brands you buy, were probably making better quality clothing even about 5 or 6 years ago. The general quality of our clothes has fallen drastically in the last decade or so or more recently. This is because retailers have seen there is more profit is new designs and new clothes than in better quality of clothing. We as consumers have also bought into the fast fashion narrative and through our purchases indicated to brands that we prioritise quantity over quality. The fast fashion clothing we buy today will probably never have a second hand market at all due to its poor quality. It will complete degenerate after one ownership cycle simply because its not built to last. In contrast to this, the clothing made by non fast fashion brands or even fast fashion retailers a decade or so ago was of better quality and has now made its way into the second hand market.

Better Price

Some people are shocked by how expensive stuff is in some second hand stores. But lets reassess. A second hand silk dress for £50 is actually cheaper than a first hand polyester dress for £15 – you get my point? For instance, the jumper I am wearing in the pictures was £18. Now that doesn’t sound particularly cheap since I can walk into any H&M or Forever 21 and buy a jumper for £15-20. However, this jumper is 50% mohair which would otherwise be way more expensive and definitely not cheaper than £60 or so first hand. The jumpers in H&M would be polyester or acrylic. So when you assess the quality and price of most second hand items, in most cases they are really good deals.

So whats the verdict? Have I managed to convince you – would you buy second hand clothes? if you want some great places to buy from check out these online vintage stores since they are easier to manoeuvre compared to physical stores which are quite intimidating. Also, my piece on Convent Garden has some good vintage stores mentioned as well.

Hope you enjoyed the post and it has managed to encourage you a little bit to think about shopping second hand. There are so many tiny stores all over Instagram, the internet and so many charity shops with good collections so look out for that. I hope you are already following us on Instagram? Of course we are on Facebook, Twitter and all the rest and would love to hear from you.

– Anisha