EDITED is a leading data company that works with numerous brands and retailers globally, and they've been investigating the current state of the resale industry.
Today's Gen-Z consumer is slightly more in tune with resale, and sustainability, in turn pushing for fashion brands that offer a sustainable initiative.
We've seen it with Balenciaga's Re-Sell Program, Diesel and Coach offer second-hand goods alongside their ready-to-wear selection online, and there are other platforms such as TheRealReal, Vinted, and Vestiare Collective that are all experiencing a boom. However, the real question is this enough to counteract fast fashion and prevent the entire fashion industry from overproducing?
BBC says it's expected that by 2030 we'll be throwing away around 134 million tons of textiles.
EDITED's research has also found that 47,000 individual styles are being produced every single week across the entire fashion remit, not including the breakdown of sizing. Basically, production levels are up 11% vs. 2021 and 120% vs. 2020.
The second-hand economy is being valued at $218 billion USD, but for it to take a hold of the sustainability crisis, we can't solely rely on resale. According to EDITED's research, what needs to continue to happen is the concept of rapid sell-outs. Meaning brands need to produce in smaller quantities and sold until there is nothing left.