An estimated 92 million tons of textile waste is created annually from the fashion industry, and every second the equivalent of one rubbish truck of textiles is landfilled or burned globally.
It’s an issue that we need to consider now more than ever. The fashion industry is already responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions (which is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.) As this rate, the fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions will surge more than 50% by 2030.
So how can this be prevented? It’s a huge challenge for an industry that thrives on making and selling new clothes. The good news is that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impacts and are looking for alternative ways to shop.
This is where buying second-hand clothing comes in. It’s a market that is projected to double over the next five years to $77 billion and could be twice the size of fast fashion by 2030. With this in mind, we look at five businesses to have on your radar.
Rokit began in 1986 with a stall in Camden Market specialising in vintage denim thrifted from American cowboys. They now have shops in Brick Lane and Covent Garden too as well as a fully curated website with edits ranging from Y2K and 70s summer to workwear and occasion wear meaning there’s something for everyone.
They also partner with Trans-Continental Textile Recycling who process up to 30,000 kg of used clothing and textile daily, and what doesn’t make it to Rokit will be reused somewhere in the world as they aim to prevent 100% of textiles going to landfill.
Thrift+ was founded after Joe Metcalfe left his job in 2014 with an idea to bring charity shops online. In 2015, he built and launched the UK’s first Click & Collect app for high street charity shops and in 2017 Thrift+ was born.
Hundreds of items are added each day, and as a seller half the profits are given to a charity of your choice with the remainder given to you as credits to use on the site or a John Lewis or Farfetch voucher.
Beyond Retro began in 2002, and as well as their site they now have eight retail stores across the UK and Sweden. They have trained professionals that go to global sorting facilities to find vintage items and save them from getting destroyed. Last year, alongside their parent company Bank and Vogue, they rehomed 90 million items.
They’ve also created their Beyond Retro Label – an option for clothes they find that aren’t ready for the shop floor. The clothes are re-purposed with other recycled fabrics into completely new design – making each piece unique.
Launched in 2012, Hardly Ever Worn is a popular luxury resale site. Tatiana Wolter-Ferguson founded the company with her mother, Sharon and sister, Natalya after packing up to move from France to the UK and realising how many clothes they owned that they had hardly worn and should sell.
Since then, they have collaborated with Sotheby’s to create its first ever luxury handbag and accessories auction, and also partnered with Vogue to host a sale of items from 23 supermodels including Kate Moss and Gigi Hadid with proceeds going to charity.
Cudoni was founded by James Harford-Tyrer in 2015 with the purpose to simplify the luxury resale service. Their plethora of brands include big names like Chanel and Hermes with items that are extremely rare or wait-listed.
If you become a seller, Cudoni deal with the whole process from taking professional photos, buyer communications and shipping and handling. Once the item is sold you can have the money you make directly transferred to you, or a charity of your choice.
If you’re looking to promote your pre-loved fashion business, get in touch with our team of experts today.
