Before you grab your pitchforks, hear me out. This is just my opinion—but it's an informed one. After all, I’ve spent over five years immersed in the vintage resale world. I’ve thrifted every week for half a decade, and I work with a team that analyzes the data of more than 15 vintage vendors weekly. So, while I may not have formal 'credentials,' I’ve lived & breathed vintage resale long enough to confidently say that there is major gatekeeping going on in the industry… my strongest data point being that well, I, too have gatekept in my career as a vintage reseller.
But I don’t anymore & I haven’t in years & here’s why: gatekeeping in this industry is no longer necessary nor viable.
First of all, people know, and they're going to keep figuring it out. And well, that’s the nature of acquiring vintage, the more you get, the more you want, the more you start to figure out what to search for. Wearing vintage is an acquired taste, as you try more & more your palette expands. There was a time when the general public wasn’t familiar with vintage brands like City Triangles, Caché, and Wilson's Leather, but now these are names that most vintage shoppers easily recognize.
In my opinion, vintage becoming more widely worn is a good thing—and I’d even argue that if you love & enjoy wearing vintage & second hand clothing, then you recognize the environmental benefits in doing so, and in caring about the environment you’d want as many people to join our vintage cult as possible as to make a greater positive impact.
If you’re still keen on gatekeeping vintage, I’ve got bad news—it’s happening whether you like it or not. The global secondhand apparel market is projected to reach $350 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual rate of 12%. In the U.S. alone, it’s expected to hit $73 billion by 2028.
So, who exactly is gatekeeping what? From what I’ve seen, resellers mostly gatekeep their wholesale sources, which is understandable—it’s part of running a business, and that’s not what bothers me.
What bothers me is the gatekeeping of vintage brand knowledge and the general withholding of tips & tricks for finding vintage online. I’ve even seen sellers go so far as to cut off vintage tags before shipping a piece, preventing their customers from researching the brand—which is twisted on so many levels. People who truly appreciate vintage have an affinity for those beautiful vintage tags and would never dream of taking scissors to them. Cutting off a vintage tag is like scratching an artist's signature off of a piece of art. I can confidently say if you’re cutting off tags to gatekeep brands then the vintage community does not claim you.
Perhaps I’m vilifying the tag cutters of the vintage realm, but online discourse often vilifies ALL resellers, arguing that they purchase items for as little as $10 and then inflate the prices, effectively “tricking” their customers. This criticism typically includes the notion that these customers could simply thrift these items themselves. However, I would argue that by 2024, most individuals buying from resellers are well aware of how the thrifting and reselling process operates.
In fact, many people turn to reselling platforms because they either lack access to thrift stores or simply don’t have the time nor desire to search for the perfect vintage pieces. This is where vintage curators come into play. If you claim that a reseller’s high price points inherently make vintage inaccessible to you, that suggests to me that you might not be looking in the right places. The reselling market offers a range of price points, both low and high; you just need to know where to look & if you keep reading I’ll even explain how to do so on the low…
Claiming that resellers diminish others’ opportunities to thrift also overlooks a crucial reality: the sheer volume of clothing in circulation today. According to a report by the Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, the fashion industry produced 150 billion garments in 2019 alone. If we consider the growth rate of the industry, one could infer that hundreds of billions of garments have been produced over the past century and a half.
So when I assert that there is enough to go around, I mean it quite literally. While it's easy to take a contrarian stance, I argue that as long as we are wearing and trading vintage, it doesn’t matter how we acquire it.
I want to emphasize that I’m open to hearing every perspective, as long as it’s a conversation rooted in mutual respect rather than driven by hate or misplaced anger. Do you really "hate" resellers or are you just wanting to hate in general? Usually, a reseller is just a person trying to make ends meet, just like you.
When it comes to resellers purchasing items from thrift stores with the intention of reselling, I understand the concern that there may have been someone who would have wanted to buy it at thrift store prices. That said, it’s also important to recognize that some items could sit on the racks indefinitely, eventually ending up at outlet bins, and ultimately in a landfill. The evidence I have to support that is the plethora of Goodwill bins hauls I see online where people find amazing pieces, clearly showing that they weren't purchased on the racks to begin with.
This is a nuanced topic, and there’s space for everyone to discuss their perspectives constructively. It’s also worth considering that large thrift chains, like Goodwill and similar organizations, receive their items for free and still mark up prices significantly. Additionally, with fast fashion, the true cost is often borne by the workers who are paid unfair wages, while the brands make substantial profits from this exploited labor. So before leaving a hate comment, I’d encourage you to think critically and consider the bigger picture.
Whether I’m sifting through a thrift store rack or a fellow resellers rack, the high of finding something that speaks to my vintage heart is the same. And since I really value vintage, it doesn’t matter to me if I pay $7 for something (although it does always feel amazing to score a piece on the low) or if I pay $78 for it. If a “wow” piece, it will find its way into my personal collection regardless of the price & regardless of who’s selling it.
Although I absolutely love the art of thrifting, when my local stores aren't hitting the mark, I get the same thrill by spending hours sifting through reselling sites like eBay, Mercari, and Poshmark—armed with my vintage knowledge of course. Whether I thrift in person or online, it's the joy of discovery & the desire to build a sick collection that drives me.
My wardrobe is an accumulation of those 'wow, I need this piece' moments, and I’m incredibly proud of it! I’m also not of the belief that making vintage more accessible by sharing tips & tricks will render resellers obsolete. On the contrary, I think there’s room for both. Vintage clothing, and the act of giving an item a second chance at life, is something that everyone should have access to and gatekeeping any sort of information in regards to vintage goes directly against the spirit of vintage.
So, here are my tips for diving into the world of vintage:
Start by exploring curated vintage stores, thrifting, and checking out flea markets—focus on finding pieces that resonate with you. As you discover the styles and eras you love, take note of the brands that catch your eye. Once you’ve honed in on your preferences, the next step is to research those brands online and browse resale sites for the best deals!
Oh, and here’s a master list of brands to get you started, just remember to put the word “vintage” in front when searching these brands online:
References:
Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
"Fashion and the Circular Economy." Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2021.
https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/fashion/overview
Global Fashion Agenda & The Boston Consulting Group.
Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2019 Update. Global Fashion Agenda, May 2019. Accessed September 24, 2024.
https://www.bcg.com
ThredUP.
"The 2023 Resale Market Outlook." ThredUP 2023 Resale Report, 2023.
https://www.thredup.com/resale/#resale-industry
FashionUnited.
"Global Secondhand Apparel Market to Hit $350 Billion by 2028." FashionUnited, 2023.
https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/global-secondhand-apparel-market-to-hit-350-billion-by-2028/2023052345312
WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme).
"Textiles 2030: UK Sustainable Textiles Action Plan." WRAP UK, 2021.
https://wrap.org.uk/taking-action/textiles
2 comments
Hot girls share tags 🫶🏻
I’ll show you my tag if you show me yours ;)