Impact of the Growth of Second-Hand Clothing Market on Fashion Consumption

Evaluate the impact of recent growth in the second-hand clothing market in attitude and behavior on the fashion consumption .What are the implications of this for the wider fashion industry?

With the rapid development of the second-hand market, increasing clothing industry has realized its importance to fashion consumption. Through investigations, second-hand transactions began to receive attention in the form of flea markets and night markets in various countries. Then，began to grow and develop in the 1990s, forming a substantial second-hand market today. The understanding of the second-hand clothing market is often considered a place where people can buy cheap clothes. At the same time, the public understands fashion consumption as the pursuit of fashion in consumer activities. From an academic point of view, research prospects second-hand market has practical significance for fashion consumption: it can directly reflect people’s definition and recognition of fashion(Samira, 2017). Therefore, after reading a large number of references and social news, this paper considers that the rapid growth of the second-hand market has played a decisive role in fashion consumption. At the same time, this article will gradually deepen the life of residents through the concept of sustainable consumption in the second-hand clothing market and the second-hand clothing market. These two views explore the impact of the second-hand market on fashion consumption. Then, analyze the impact of the second-hand market in attitude and behavior on the fashion industry. Moreover, it pointed out that the current second-hand market still needs improvement.

In recent years, the concept of sustainable consumption in the second-hand clothing market has promoted fashion consumption, and this behavior has dramatically improved the prosperity and stability of clothing enterprises. In recent years, a diversified environmental concept was introduced in the second-hand clothing market, known as sustainable consumption, namely the comprehensive reuse and recycling of materials (Bly et al., 2015). Specifically, fashion retailers create goods at low cost, and then consumers continue to buy goods at low prices. To some extent, this sustainable consumption cycle can alleviate environmental problems. Therefore, consumers are more inclined to buy second-hand clothing. This type of purchase can reduce waste, protect the environment, and be cost-effective.Meanwhile, this environmental philosophy has dramatically stimulated the social responsibility of consumers, especially the younger generation of consumers. At present, the younger generation is the main force of fashion consumption. According to the research report, 40% of the younger generation will buy second-hand goods, and 77% of the younger generation will choose to purchase more environmentally friendly clothing (ThredUp, 2018). The younger generation who value social responsibility will choose the method of sustainable consumption.As a consequence, the concept of sustainable consumption and environmental protection in the second-hand market has attracted more and more attention and has gradually become a fashion trend. A growing number of people are willing to pay for second-hand clothing, which has become an increasingly popular business model. Whereas, some people do not agree with such a business model, while at the same time, remain skeptical about the concept of sustainable consumption. They believe that in the process of recycling and recycling of second-hand clothing, it is difficult to guarantee the hygiene and quality of clothing and the health problems of people (Karen, 2014). Correctly, Because second-hand clothing is continuously circulated through people, clothes will be recycled by machines that are not sure whether they are hygienic. In this view, they believe that consumers are more willing to buy brand new clothing.

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On the other hand, the second-hand clothing market has gradually become a part of the fashion consumption of residents in their daily life. Individually, residents consider uniqueness to be a fashion (Cass, 2001). They often buy a variety of distinctive clothing in the second-hand clothing market. At present, the second-hand clothing market in Japan is trendy, and residents will choose to buy second-hand clothing to show off their taste. At the same time, going to second-hand clothing stores have gradually become an essential part of their leisure life (Cassidy and Bennett, 2012). As far as residents are concerned, they often take out old clothes and sell them in the second-hand market, and then buy their favorite clothes from the second-hand clothing market. For instance, not only Japan but some residents of Europe and the United States also sell clothes that they are not suitable or no longer like on the market. Although they refer to this market for second-hand clothing as the flea market (Xu et al., 2014), this way of selling old clothes and buying favorite second-hand clothes has gradually become a fashion and has also increased the fashion consumption of the second-hand clothing market. However, some believe that this preference for the second-hand clothing market has a particularly negative impact on the design innovation of the local apparel industry. Firstly, the second-hand market accounts for a specific share of apparel consumption, which will affect apparel companies’ investment in new products, which affects the share of fashion consumption (Brooks, 2013). Secondly, some people think that people prefer old models or classics. Therefore, the clothing company will design new clothing according to the old model. However, this kind of behavior cannot jump out of the original design framework, which severely hinders the innovation and progress of the fashion industry.

Despite that, the emergence of the second-hand clothing market has much promoted the development of the fashion industry. While gradually integrating into people’s lives, it is full of significance for the broader fashion industry. To be specific, the relationship between the second-hand market and the vast fashion industry is mutual. The former stimulates the latter’s fashion consumption, and the latter’s inclusiveness also gives the former a broader space for development (Hvass, 2015). Despite this, there are still some people who believe that the existence of the second-hand clothing market hinders the development of the fashion industry for the longer-term fashion industry, precisely because they believe that second-hand clothing will lack design and innovation. They believe that the second-hand clothing market does not redesign clothes, so it is challenging to keep up with fashion and fashion. They are not willing to pay for fashion clothing.Furthermore, environmental degradation and high prices have always plagued the fashion industry. The fashion industry is relying on the second-hand clothing market to solve these problems. According to research by the Global Fashion Agenda, in 2017, 75% of fashion companies around the world are looking for ways to raise the contribution of the fashion industry to the environment and society. For the general public, the reuse of second-hand clothes is the most environmentally friendly method. Therefore, most fashion companies are turning their attention to the environmental concept of the second-hand clothing market and seeking cooperation with second-hand clothing. Thus, the significance of practicing environmental protection is not only the brand to show their social responsibility to consumers, but also to promote the fashion industry. Continue to develop. This form of fashion is known as the collaborative consumption form (Becker, 2018). As a consequence, the second-hand clothing market is gradually becoming a fashion trend. At the same time, the second-hand clothing market is slowly becoming a new growth point in the fashion industry.

As indicated above, the second-hand clothing market is like a double-edged sword, which has had not only a positive impact but also a negative impact on the entire fashion industry. Both sides of the influence contain some truth. The apparel market has brought the sustainability of fashion consumption. The fashion industry should also minimize the impact of its disadvantages and find practical solutions to the problem. For example, the government can develop a series of regulations to regulate the second-hand clothing market. Ensure the hygiene of second-hand clothes, ensure the health of the purchaser, and improve the quality of the clothes. For another, fashion enterprises can ensure the sustainable development of fashion consumption in the second-hand clothing market through collaborative consumption. Therefore, through the analysis of this article, it is expected that in the future, under the joint stimulation of the fashion industry and the second-hand clothing market, people’s fashion consumption will be further enhanced.

References

• Brooks, A. (2013) ‘Stretching global production networks: The international second-hand clothing trade’, Geoforum, 44, pp. 10–22. doi: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.06.004.
• Bly, S., Gwozdz, W. and Reisch, L. A. (2015) ‘Exit from the high street: an exploratory study of sustainable fashion consumption pioneers’, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, 39(2), pp. 125–135. doi: 10.1111/ijcs.12159.
• Becker-Leifhold, C. V. (2018) ‘The role of values in collaborative fashion consumption – A critical investigation through the lenses of the theory of planned behavior’, JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION, 199, pp. 781–791. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.06.296.
• Cass, A. O. (2001) ‘Consumer Self-monitoring, Materialism and Involvement in Fashion Clothing’, Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ), 9(1), pp. 46–60. doi: 10.1016/S1441-3582(01)70166-8.
• Cassidy, T. D. and Bennett, H. R. (2012) ‘The Rise of Vintage Fashion and the Vintage Consumer’, FASHION PRACTICE-THE JOURNAL OF DESIGN CREATIVE PROCESS & THE FASHION INDUSTRY, 4(2), pp. 239–261. doi: 10.2752/175693812X13403765252424.
• Hvass Kerli Kant (2015) ‘Business Model Innovation through Second Hand Retailing: A Fashion Industry Case’, Journal of Corporate Citizenship, (57), p. 11. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.jcorpciti.57.11&site=eds-live (Accessed: 4 August 2019).
• Karen Tranberg Hansen (2004) ‘Helping or Hindering?: Controversies around the International Second-Hand Clothing Trade’, Anthropology Today, 20(4), p. 3. Available at:http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.3694995&site=eds-live (Accessed: 30 July 2019).
• Samira Iran, Ulf Schrader.(2017) ‘Collaborative fashion consumption and its environmental effects’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, (4), p. 468. doi: 10.1108/JFMM-09-2016-0086.
• Xu Yingjiao, Yizhuo Chen, Ritika Burman, and Hongshan Zhao. (2014) ‘Second-hand clothing consumption: a cross-cultural comparison between American and Chinese young consumers’, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 38(6), pp. 670–677. doi: 10.1111/ijcs.12139.