Second-hand clothing gains appeal beyond low-income shoppers

Only a small share of textile products can currently be recycled, prompting more people to buy and sell second-hand clothing, LRT.lt reports. Kaunas University of Technology professor Daiva Mikučionienė said the trend is gaining momentum, particularly among younger people.

Buying used clothing was once associated with low incomes. Today, however, even luxury designer pieces can be bought second-hand.

Many people have clothes in their wardrobes that they have not worn for months or years. The garments may no longer fit, reflect their personality or simply have reached the end of their useful life.

Worn-out clothing is often thrown away, but only a small share of textile waste is currently recycled into fibres used to make new products. Garments that are still wearable but no longer wanted can instead be sold through online platforms.

Buying and selling second-hand clothes can help people find good-quality garments while reducing unnecessary textile waste.

Will clothes last long enough to become family heirlooms?

Contemporary clothing is often criticised as being less durable and lower quality than garments made in the past. Images of clothes that are already stained or torn while still hanging in shops are also common online.

Mikučionienė, a professor at the Kaunas University of Technology Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, said there are at least two quality levels of textile products: fast-fashion items and high-quality products intended for long-term use.

She said the problem was not that manufacturers no longer knew how to make durable products, but that the economic model was based on producing and selling more. If a product is long-lasting and has a classic design, she asked, how can consumers be persuaded to keep buying?

The professor recalled that even during the interwar period, the owner of a Kaunas hosiery factory complained to an engineer that the socks being produced did not wear out quickly enough, which was bad for business.

According to Mikučionienė, high-quality, durable textile products are still available and can become heirlooms passed down to children or grandchildren.

She said much depended on consumers themselves. Although price does not always equal quality, prioritising more expensive, durable products could encourage the industry to adapt.

Mikučionienė said people should understand how their everyday habits affect quality of life in the future. Impulsive purchases of cheap clothing often leave garments unused in wardrobes until they eventually end up in landfills, she said, as people are still learning how to sort waste correctly.