Second-hand is no longer the preserve of those of us sheepishly rifling through the racks of charity shops. It has become the aspirational choice – a fashion statement in itself – because it says, “I’m fashion-savvy and planet-conscious”. Some of the loudest proponents of pre-loved are the most glamorous names in the luxury business, from Anna Wintour to Kim Kardashian. Where second-hand resale events in the UK used to be attended by a distinct tribe of second-hand fanatics, they are now over-subscribed and booked up by mainstream shoppers. The phenomenal adoption of Depop, a second-hand online marketplace in the UK, which has more than 13 million users sending 85 million messages to each other each month, shows how fast things are changing.
