The resale industry, or the secondhand and vintage industries, has steadily become popular around the world. Secondhand fashion refers to the retail of used clothing. Vintage fashion falls in the category of secondhand fashion and refers to the retail of clothing that was produced a long time ago but is still in good quality. About a decade ago, buying secondhand or vintage clothing was mostly going through piles of cheap, dirty clothes at a thrift shop. Surprisingly, a study conducted in 2020 by ThredUp stated that nearly 60% of Generation Z consumers have secondhand clothing in their closets. Buying secondhand and vintage clothing is not considered an indication of poverty anymore; thrifting is now transformed into a search for unique pieces of characteristic clothing.
Various platforms emerged in the resale industry market. There are applications and social media pages where people post photos and information of their products and those who are interested in the item can contact the seller. Some named brands have opened their own secondhand or vintage shops: Levi’s opened its official secondhand line of used past-season clothes. Reselling apps such as “RealReal” have officially agreed to a deal with luxury brands, namely Gucci, to buy and resell used luxuries with genuine product certification. Lastly, the number of upcycling shops that reform used or damaged clothes and goods to produce new pieces of clothing, has recently increased.
Over the past few years, the resale industries have grown in size due to three main reasons. One advantage of resale clothing is that the clothes are cheaper. High-end fashion clothing has sold more than ever in the past few years. Used items expand the consumer group of luxuries since the price is considerably more accessible. Also, they are unique. Vintage items are from past seasons and thus only small numbers exist in good quality. Most upcycling brands create only one piece for each design. Above all, resale clothing is greener. Fewer materials are used in its production, and packaging waste is reduced. 
Considering these advantages, secondhand and vintage fashion have come into the limelight as a possible solution to the problems of fast fashion. Fast fashion is cheap clothing produced quickly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. Fast fashion is problematic for several reasons: the retailers force their employees to work under harsh conditions, and it harms the environment. According to McKinsey’s The State of Fashion 2021 report, 100 billion clothes are consumed, and 92 million tons are thrown away every year, leading to an increase in greenhouse gas emission and microplastics. In addition, fast fashion contaminates around 20% of the world’s industrial water. Secondhand fashion can tackle these problems through upcycling. 
Experts from the GlobalData, a research firm based in the U.S., believe that this trend will last. The resale market is projected to be worth 80 billion dollars by 2029, which is twice the size of fast fashion market. This trendy, green culture is also influencing other industries. IKEA has recently launched a secondhand pop-up store where consumers buy and resell furniture. This trend could become a turning point in the way industries produce products.