The business of second-hand clothing is booming
Can it be profitable, too?

Second-hand fashion, once relegated to charity shops, is now in style. Vestiaire Collective, a luxury resale site, featured in an episode of the latest season of “Emily in Paris”, a Netflix drama known for its designer costumes. eBay, an online marketplace, has partnered with “Love Island”, a cult British reality show, to kit contestants out in used clothes. At London Fashion Week last year Vinted, a Lithuanian resale site, and Oxfam, a charity, showcased second-hand outfits.
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This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Re-commerce”
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From the March 1st 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
How Trump’s tariffs could crush American carmakers
They must hope the levies do not endure
The Economist’s office agony uncle is back
Another bulging postbag for Max Flannel

The smiling new face of German big business
From Allianz to Zalando, pedlars of services are outdoing industrial firms at home—and foreign rivals abroad
Airbus has not taken full advantage of Boeing’s weakness
That could leave a gap for other planemakers to fill
Zyn is giving investors a buzz—for now
Nicotine pouches are growing fast
The trouble with MAGA’s chipmaking dreams
TSMC will keep making most of the world’s advanced chips at home for years to come