Vinted, Depop … The use of these second-hand clothing platforms is skyrocketing, especially among the new generation. According to a survey conducted by the BCG-Altagamma study in 2020, the second-hand sector is expected to grow by 12% by 2023. While the luxury market has long been confined to the sale of exclusively new items, the trend seems to be slowly changing. For example, the British fashion house Alexander McQueen recently joined forces with the Vestiaire Collective website to launch the “Brand Approved” program. The principle? The brand offers its customers the opportunity to sell the pieces they want to part with. After authenticating them and ensuring their good quality in order to set a price, it sends them to Vestiaire Collective, which takes care of putting them online. A more sustainable conception of fashion that is seducing more and more brands, with Stella McCartney leading the way among the pioneers, but also Gucci and Burberry – all three are linked to the resale site The RealReal – and more recently, Isabel Marant, which has launched its vintage platform. The reason? A desire to promote a more circular economy and a more responsible fashion, at a time when fashion is still the second most polluting industry in the world, emitting 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases every year. And for those who are into minimalism, there is another trend to highlight: clothing rentals. Although there are several sites dedicated to this, luxury brands that have adopted this approach can still be counted on the fingers of one hand, even if some timid advances are to be noted. Ralph Lauren launched a rental service, The Lauren Look, in the United States in March 2021. However, there is a good chance that in a few years, with the increasing importance given to ecology, these new markets will have been completely democratized in the luxury sector. ..

By Marie Courtois