With the presence of the global pandemic of the Covid-19 virus and the confinement associated with it, the tidying up of closets and the perception of an excess of clothes and other useless items has increased.
To meet consumers’ ideas, brands had to reinvent themselves and think of differentiated alternatives to fight the crisis and keep up with the consumer. Sustainability and the growing concern for the protection of the environment have driven luxury brands to adopt a new sales concept – Second-Hand Luxury Fashion. In physical stores or online, clothes, shoes, and even fashion accessories appear as new and at lower prices.
The Circular Economy and sustainability have reached the luxury fashion sector. The reuse of fashion has grown this year by 12%, thus creating a trend for the luxury fashion sector, expanding now to the United States of America, and representing to date a worldwide volume of 25 million euros in the second-hand luxury market.
Farfetch, Chanel, Prada, Valentino, and Louis Vuitton are some examples found.
Sustainability or Marketing?
But is this practice a way for luxury fashion to keep up with the progress of environmentalism and sustainability, or just a marketing strategy?
The Circular Economy and the strong trend towards environmental protection have been growing, as well as consumer concern for these thematic. This is a good option for those who want sustainable luxury.
Many brands affirm that the adoption of this type of business had focused sustainability and price reduction on items, to provide consumers with a lower purchasing power, the possibility of acquiring luxury goods. However, let us see that this strong trend only began to denote itself with impact when periods of greater economic crisis began. Isn’t it too much of a coincidence that brands only now decide to join this trend?
The used, sustainable, recycled, and reused all became a trend. The environmental issue was the excuse to authenticate. In no time at all, everyone is wearing vintage, used pieces that have less impact on the environment. Consumers like to pronounce “I purchased second-hand” to show that they are concerned and current when it comes to fashion trends.
All those old luxury clothing pieces that their only goal was to fill up the closet were once again being worn and seen on the streets. And luxury brands had to follow the consumer, and thus create a new concept of “Second-Hand Luxury”. If this concept takes place in the fashion market and the consumers’ minds and brands do nothing, they will certainly lose positioning and business volumes.
Now if we analyze all this, it is impossible not to have a question floating in our minds: was all this a concern for the environment, or was the environment just an excuse?
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