Featured BEFORE YOU HASTILY RECYCLE THOSE OLD CLOTHES...

Hi all! Someone here just recently posted about Old Clothes getting a lot of attention.....and LO, in my ‘inbox’ email Today, comes the bi-weekly Dec. 28 issue of JournalofAntiques.com with just such an article on the front page.....I just thought it was very interesting.....so before you just pop them in the recycling bin, might want to give a quick read......it’s right
On the front page!!! I, at least, thought it interesting!!! Well, THAT’S annoying.....can’t get to the article from here.....bummer......well, here it is then........sorry, it’s a looooong post.....

PUBLISHER'S CORNER
"2020: A Big Year for Old Clothes"
By Maxine Carter-Lome

Although fashion spending with the exception of ‘loungewear’ is down a record 79% since Covid forced Americans to start working from home last April (Boston Consulting Group estimates 2020 will end with $640 billion in lost sales.), industry data suggests that secondhand and vintage are on the rise.

Lyst’s annual Year in Fashion report, a data-heavy distillation of the most popular brands, products, people, and movements of the past 12 months, confirmed a rising interest in used clothes. In September, when many of us were thinking about our fall wardrobes, “vintage fashion” generated more than 35,000 new searches on Lyst, while entries for secondhand-related keywords increased 104%. Brides planning socially-distanced weddings were even looking for “vintage,” “secondhand,” or “pre-owned” wedding dresses, with searches spiking 38%. (Lyst suggests many were inspired by the vintage Norman Hartnell dress Princess Beatrice wore to her July wedding; searches for “vintage wedding dress” were up 297% in the 48 hours following her walk down the aisle.). Fashion brands are now jumping on the vintage and secondhand bandwagon.

During the spring 2021 collections, more designers than not said they’d used leftover fabrics from past collections, and in some cases (like Marine Serre), they spliced up vintage garments to create new ones. Coach’s spring 2021 collection was styled with items from seasons past to make a statement about longevity, and there were handbags upcycled from archival ’70s purses and recycled plastic. In October, Levi’s unveiled a new website, Levi’s Secondhand, to sell exclusively vintage and secondhand jeans, most of which were purchased from customers or sourced in vintage shops.

Gucci launched a major collaboration with The RealReal, a leader in authenticated luxury consignment, and By Far and Vestiaire Collective just collaborated on a capsule of handbags made from damaged product and leather scraps, featuring floral patchwork motifs you won’t find in their main line. (By Far is also introducing a repairs scheme so customers can have their bags repaired or refurbished and ultimately keep them longer.) And this month, Miu Miu will debut a collection of 80 upcycled holiday pieces in its 57th Street Store, each made from vintage items from the ’30s to the ’70s.

Covering the rising secondhand and vintage market is Display Copy (www.displaycopy.com), a new magazine launched in October 2020 that features only secondhand and vintage fashion. Like other fashion magazines, it features glossy photoshoots by famous photographers, featuring the likes of Helmut Lang, Paul Smith, Adidas, and Balenciaga. Unique to Display Copy is that it credits for “where to buy” such alternative shopping venues as the Salvation Army, Etsy, and eBay. Display Copy may be a new magazine, but, as the editor’s letter says, it “doesn’t feature a single new fashion item.” Every item of clothing it pictures and promotes is vintage. Secondhand. Thrifted. Pre-loved. For resale."

These brands have surely connected with the rising interest in upcycled and secondhand goods, particularly among younger shoppers. Circular fashion—i.e., clothing that re-enters the market or is upcycled into something new, rather than being thrown away—is undeniably the future. ThredUp predicts the resale market will hit $64 billion by 2024, and that the online secondhand market will grow 69% by 2021.

Second Life is one new company driving that trend. Through Second Life, you can “sell” a gently-used handbag directly to Farfetch in return for site credits, which are determined by the value of your bag. (You get the credits instantaneously, not when the bag sells.) Interestingly, a company representative says many of the customers who sell on Second Life are using their credits to buy new items, not secondhand ones. Finding vintage Dior bags on Second Life might inspire a user to buy a new Dior bag, for instance, because she knows it will retain its value and she can sell it back in five or 10 years. “I think it’s an opportunity for brands to take more ownership and see the value in things they’ve already produced and sold. The more they can manage the secondary market, the more valuable their new items become.”

It is expected that we’ll soon see luxury brands create their own version of Second Life in the future, taking back items from their customers in exchange for cash or credit, then reselling them as vintage treasures. It’s fair to assume most luxury customers aren’t throwing away $3,000 handbags in the trash. The concept is a no-brainer for high-end goods that retain their value, but it could work for contemporary and fast-fashion labels, too, if the clothing is high-quality enough.

In a difficult year that’s seen staggering unemployment and countless shuttered businesses, the shift toward vintage and secondhand could come down to a desire for less-conspicuous fashion. It doesn’t exactly feel appropriate to wear a flashy logo or head-to-toe runway look right now, whereas the 20-year-old coat you fell in love with at a vintage shop has the added benefit of making a quieter statement.

With a projected growth of $64 billion, expect more brands and companies to enter this space, with fashion’s footprint now embracing such words as circular, secondhand, sustainability, pre-owned, vintage, and upcycling driving the hottest trends of the years ahead.

 

I checked out behind a lady recently who was buying a cartload of clothing at the consignment shop where I sell & buy stuff for resale on eBay. I commented on her selection of very cute things & she said she sold on Poshmark. She says she shops the store usually multiple times a month & does very well. I am positive that she is not the only one who does the same thing.

The funny thing is I also know several people who shop at the local thrift shops, take the items home to clean them up & then take them to the consignment shop for resale.

This shop is in a huge previous Stein-Mart store which is probably 1/3 clothing. They have a separate boutique area for designer brands where they sell purses, shoes, clothing & jewelry.

The rest of the shop is furniture, dishes, glassware & misc. household goods.

I have been shopping in his store since he started the business back in 2003 in a place that could fit inside his present location many times over. He moved there about 10 years ago & I have been amazed at what I have been able to buy over the years & make a very nice profit.

 

Even though there's money in this, I think I'll stick to restoring artwork rather than laundering someone else's old socks.

 

Thank you for posting that. I have to read it again.
I have sold just a hand full of vintage garments but they were new old stock, never worn, in the package sealed.

I sold some men's vintage tanks NIP and one NIP package of ladies thermal underwear I have some vintage men's undergarments I just got not too long ago that I will list when I get my shop back up and running, G'd willing.

I only buy NIP NOS but I hate dealing with clothing buyers. They think they are a size 0 when they are nowhere near it and blame the seller.

Also of note for you all, the vintage clothes pattern kits, the ones you sew with fabric... they do sell if they are the right ones. We all just have to figure out which are worth bringing home to sell and finding those at sales or thrifts. Lots of makers out there, I am not one of them.

 

My neighbor sells on Ebay, but also on the RealReal (mentioned in first post). She gets her inventory from thrift stores, just does this part time for some good pocket money. For the most lucrative sales, you have to know upper, upper end brands, many are not household names. She recently got a leather shirt -- I'm here to tell you I would not have taken a 2nd look at this on the rack and I'm fairly tuned into this kind of thing because there is money to be made. Think long sleeve shirt, in sort of a suede look. Well here it retails for $4K!! She sent it to St. Louis on her own dime to be professionally cleaned by some place that specializes in this kind of thing, I think it might have been this brand (Eskandar) in a shorter cut, and lighter color. This Ebay listing for one sold for almost $3K.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-NE...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

She tried it on for me, my neighbor is beautiful and stylish, and I have to say the shirt did nothing for me unlike some other designer items I've seen her find. But apparently has some decent resale $$ to say the least!!

I normally check clothing when I am in the thrift.

 

lol, interesting, it's ALL YOUR FAULT!

YIKES! Knows ZERO about clothing except, there is a lot of money in certain brands of Rags.

 

I look at some of it, and grab vintage purses if they're high quality. The latter often go to the consignment store. Purses are one size fits all, and a lot are bought to be displayed rather than used. I do look at the clothes sometimes, but most here are recent and not great quality to begin with.

 

I have tried selling clothing items a time or two but to me, it is just a PITA. I would much rather spray down a piece of pretty glass with some type of cleaner & be done with it rather than looking over every inch of a piece of clothing with a fine-tooth comb.

 

I do it once in a while, if I find something really cool. Otherwise, it's more worth than it's worth. (that's where having a local consignment store comes in handy)

 

I adore vintage and new to me clothing. I've still got stuff Ma had in the early 50s and before. I don't like malls, don't like wearing what everyone else has. And you can pick up splendid things at car boot sales here.

 

I wore 40's and 50's vintage rayon shirts back in the 80's when I was gadding about all over the world selling antiques and needed to be hip ...now I couldn't really give a hoot, I wear puffer vests from Costco like everyone else

 

I know someone who has a vintage clothing shop, she actually has three shops, two vintage clothing and one vintage bridal. I see her shopping in thrift stores but most of her stock is consignments, people wanting to sell their relatives items.

I worked in 1one of her shops occasionally for a few years, I loved it. I got to go through all the jewelry and sort through the clothes, it was so much fun!

Working for her gave me an education in antique and vintage purses, I learned a lot!

I also shop there when I need something special. The last thing I got was a 1950s black silk dress to wear to a wedding. Shopping there I knew no one else will be wearing the same outfit as I was