When it comes to fashion, a major concern of people in the industry in today’s day and age is sustainability. With the climate crisis in full swing and a leading cause of the rising CO2 levels being mass consumption, it is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate the ever-changing industry while the guilt of over-consumption and the undoubtable blame the industry has on the state of the world. For many, upcycling and recycling clothing has become one of the many ways people are utilizing to cope with the detriments of the industry while still being able to explore their personal style and express themselves through fashion. Be that "one of a kind" in the fashion industry.
In Canada you will find many second-hand clothing stores. The ladies of Shopcoat, a vintage retailer located in the heart of Dundas West, have made a name for themselves in the Toronto vintage market. After countless weekends of selling out of their upcycled and curated stock at the Toronto Vintage Crawl, the Shopcoat ladies - Camilla Marler, Amanda Julian, and Sandra Wiseman - made the move to open their own brick-and-more store just steps away from the market that put their name on the map. Showcasing their latest and greatest finds on a weekly Instagram story drop, Shopcoat offer a handpicked, curated collection of wardrobe staples from 90s basics, to reworked denim for all body types, to intricate and unique vintage finds - covering all bases when it comes to wardrobe staples. Combining Julian’s expertise in photography, with Wiseman’s design skills, and Marler’s hands-on experience in the fashion industry, the ladies have come together to create the vintage powerhouse that we now know as Shopcoat.
The used clothing market is becoming a global phenomenon, not just in Canada, and it is set to grow more than twice as fast as the global apparel market. According to research by the consignment company thredUP, 41% of consumers say that when they buy clothing, they look at used items first. 61% of Gen Z and Millennials say they look for used items before buying new. Another 46% of Gen Z and Millennials consider the resale value of clothing before making a purchase. This indicates that the secondhand clothing market is growing and has become a future trend, and that its boom is helping to address the sustainability crisis in the fashion industry.
There are two main categories that make up the used clothing market, vintage stores and resale platforms, and these two main categories have driven the boom in the used clothing market. For a long time, used clothing was perceived as old and tainted, mainly by bargain hunters or treasure hunters looking for it. However, with time and a shift in consumer attitudes, this perception has changed and many consumers now consider used clothes to be the same or even higher quality worn out clothes. A trend of "fashion flipping", especially among young consumers and its popularity.
This trend has led to a particularly hot market for second-hand clothing for children. Many parents will have this distress, children grow up day by day, leaving a lot of things that can not be used, such as cribs, fences, strollers, some even brand new, throw away and very unfortunate, because the purchase also spent a lot of money. In response to this problem, there are a number of second-hand clothing markets for children, where you can buy not only good second-hand clothing, but also books and toys. Canadian winters are cold and long, and skiing is a great outdoor sport, but every year parents need to buy new ski equipment and ski clothing, here you can not only buy good quality ski products at low prices, but also solve the problem of waste.
Tina is a floor manager working at OAK+FORT. She came to the brand on the recommendation of a friend and was promoted from sales assistant to floor manager in a short period of time. She loves her job because it allows her to talk to different customers about fashion trends and learn more about fashion from conversations. She says that for a fashion company, retail is the first line of communication between the customer, the company and the merchandise. So in my opinion, being a floor manager is a good position to understand how retail works and organize people in different positions. The brand has not only apparel, but also jewelry and home products. For the products, more and more customers are considering the useful life of that product, because more and more people are becoming concerned about fashion sustainability.
In the store, you often see customers coming in wearing products they bought three or even five years ago, and they choose to match it with some decorations or other clothing to reflect their fashion style. This is a very good trend. At the same time, as a floor manager, I need to pay more attention to some fashion trend information to provide better assistance to the guests. In my opinion, I support sustainability because there are many people on the planet. We need to find the best and greenest fashion for the environment, and there are many companies that recycle used fashion items, such as H&M. There are also some recycled brands that are sold at Nordstrom. In the business view, sustainability brings us more attention, people think it's new and interesting, and they're willing to pay some money for it. Companies also get more money and a better reputation.
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