From thrift haul TikToks to Love Island’s partnership with eBay, pre-loved fashion is having a moment.

Pre-loved, or second-hand clothing is just that - items that have already been worn or used but are getting a new lease of life with someone else. It’s had a mixed reputation over the years, with doubts about quality or wear and tear, but recently, it’s become more and more popular.

Second-hand fashion provides a cheaper, often more sustainable way to shop. And whether you’re buying items from online platforms like Vinted and Depop, or heading to your local charity shop, there are so many ways to shop second-hand. Plus, you can even find vintage pieces that are still in great condition, perfect if vintage fashion is your thing.

There are lots of pros to buying pre-loved, but I wanted to share my views on second-hand shopping and tell you why it works for me. Not everything in my wardrobe is second-hand but over the last couple of years, more often than not, I’ve found myself picking pre-loved over fast fashion. So, why do I love second-hand shopping?

Things change and that’s okay;

Have you ever looked at your clothes and thought to yourself, ‘Wow, I haven’t worn that in ages’? It happens to the best of us. Whether you’ve gone through a personal style journey, gained or lost weight, or even got a new job, things change.

But just because you don’t or can’t love something anymore, that doesn’t mean a piece of clothing can’t get a new lease of life with someone else. It can be hard to part with old favourites or sentimental pieces, but passing them on is much better than sitting under your bed, gathering dust.

I know that when I look at the bag of clothes I put away with ideas like ‘I might want it for something’ or ‘maybe it’ll fit again’, I just feel icky. Guilty for not wearing them, bad for changing size, overwhelmed by the idea of getting rid of them. But it can feel so liberating to commit and actually do something with them.

Second-hand shopping sites have made it easier than ever to find a new home for your clothes. As I write this, I’ve sold three things on Vinted, with a few more parcels to deliver. And I feel great. Yes, it’s nice to get a bit of extra cash but I feel so relieved knowing things I’ve not worn in years – or barely even worn in the first place – are going to people who are actually going to wear and love them.

Overconsumption is scary;

Another reason I love second-hand shopping is the way it helps me be more mindful about how I buy clothes.

I’ve spoken about this a bit before, but with the current rapid trend cycles and clothes being more affordable than ever, it’s so tempting to buy lots of new things every few months. This is only made worse by social media, where videos of excessive overconsumption are blowing up. And while it’s not quite the same thing, a lot of us do consume clothes like these overconsumption TikTokers, buying more than we need (including myself).

Second-hand shopping has helped me reduce my clothing consumption without having to go cold turkey.

Rather than saying ‘I’m not buying anything ever again’ (which never works out), buying pre-loved items has been a good middle ground. Maybe it’s the fact that I can’t return something as easily or because I’m interacting with a real person, rather than an online checkout, but I find that I think more about the purchases I want to make when shopping pre-loved, even though the price is cheaper. I’m less likely to get something impulsively or get an item just because it’s trendy.

A chance to try something new;

And that leads me to the final thing I love about shopping second-hand: how it broadens my horizons and helps me discover something new.

From older clothing styles that you don’t see online to niche brands that you can’t get on ASOS, you never know what you’ll find when you’re shopping second-hand. How exciting is that?

I love pushing my style, seeing what clothes I can make work together and finding unique pieces, all in an effort to craft my own personal look. Shopping pre-loved is a great way to do just that.

Most of the time, a charity shop isn’t full of what’s trending at the moment. It’s a bit of a break from the TikTok trends and fast-paced fashion cycles. And if you find that most high-street brands don’t fit you right or aren’t made in your size, there’s a whole other world of clothing out there.

Final thoughts;

You’ll notice I’ve not spoken too much about the sustainability aspect of pre-loved clothing. And that’s because it’s a bit of a murky topic.

After lots of reading online, it seems there’s some doubt as to how much clothing is actually saved from landfill via second-hand shopping. And if clothes that charity shops can’t sell or that people are buying and then getting rid of anyway still end up in landfill, is second-hand shopping really that sustainable? I don’t have the answer.

What I do know is this: shopping second-hand isn’t the answer to the climate crisis, but it can be part of it.

Extending the life cycle of your clothes is an amazing thing to do, combating textile waste and overall reducing the number of wearable garments that end up in landfill.

Yes, we should all be reducing how much we’re buying full stop but no one’s perfect. And it’s unrealistic for most of us to cut buying clothes out completely. So, if we have to buy more things second-hand to reduce our consumption, I think that’s a pretty good swap.