Love it or loathe it, shopping comes into sharp focus around this time of year. Gifts are bought for loved ones, Christmas party outfits are picked out and there’s a seemingly never-ending supply of eye-catching items in some of our favourite stores. But it certainly isn’t all about newness. In fact, it’s far from it, as the global second-hand apparel market hit $197 billion (£155.66 billion) in 2023, according to a report from thrifting platform ThredUp, and plenty of celebrities are now getting in on the action.
Over the past six weeks, Paul Mescal’s stylist has put pieces from his Gladiator II tour wardrobe up on Vinted; Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Billie Piper and Nicola Coughlan are just a handful of famous faces now renting out their wardrobes on Hurr, and Margherita Maccapani Missoni made a number of incredible archive pieces available on eBay. All of these sales were in aid of charity, raising money from pre-loved pieces.
Despite the booming success of the pre-loved fashion market – the resale sector grew 15 times faster than the broader retail clothing sector in 2023, according to the ThredUp report – second-hand shopping has long been the key secret to success for many chic fashion collections. For Missoni and her grandmother, who founded the eponymous family fashion house, this has always been the case.
‘Second-hand has really been part of my world and my aesthetic since ever I started going to flea markets with my mum and my grandma when I was a child,’ Missoni told Grazia. ‘It was, for us, really a part of our creative passion and the treasure hunting is also part of the creative process from of my heritage. It was also a get-together moment for us on the weekend, so it was cultural and social as well’.
So, as you can see, even the great luxury labels look to pre-loved pieces to help build the foundations of their collections, just as plenty of us do for our own wardrobes. But, as Missoni stresses, this prolonged lifespan isn't purely about aesthetics but also a vital part of a more sustainable business model. 'Obviously, you know fashion needs to find different ways to implement second-hand ready-to-wear in the business because clearly, we are overproducing, and there's so much good in the world,' she says.
Speaking of her love for eBay, in particular, Missoni continues, ‘in my late teens, I discovered eBay from my mum, who had started using it, and we furnished my first New York apartment. She was working in Italy, so she couldn't [physically] help me, but through eBay, she did, and I have been a devoted fan ever since.’
‘If you look at something and you can feel that that thing had an owner, it's a lot more charming,’ she adds. And this is an idea we’re very much on board with, especially when these pieces are owned by people whose wardrobes we all very much envy. So, here's to seeing more celebs and luxury labels putting up their pre-loved pieces in 2025.
Lauren Cunningham is acting fashion news editor at Grazia. She currently lives between Lisbon and London and is always on the lookout for exciting collaborations, new small brands and those boasting impressive sustainability credentials. Find her on Instagram @laurencunningha.m.