By Karen and Erica

Remember a New York Times article from the first summer of COVID entitled Sweatpants Forever? We were deeply horrified by the title, as we wrote at the time. Less so by the content, which detailed some of the complete craziness of the fashion industry, and the devastating effect of COVID on that industry. Possibly for the betterment of the world, and maybe even for fashion.

So where are we now?

We are not fashion industry experts, but we are enthusiastic consumers of fashion. And we have for a long time been enthusiastic purchasers from consignment and resale and thrift stores. Sure, clothes are less expensive there—but they also offer the Thrill Of The Chase. That great feeling when you find something truly fabulous, and unique, that someone loved a couple of decades ago and then was good enough to allow us to enjoy. A retired piece of clothing given renewed life.

Apparently our interest in finding gems in resale stores makes us like Gen Z.

A study from AdWeek reports that Millennials seek validation from others regarding their purchases, but Gen Z shoppers are valuing individuality more than any generation before. There’s a sense of pride that comes with wearing something no one else has, going to a thrift store rather than the mall or finding something trendy at a better price than everyone else. Wearing clothes from fast fashion retailers like Target, H&M or Urban Outfitters means that hundreds of thousands of other people are likely wearing the exact same thing. While that safety is appealing to many, others prefer to dig for gems rather than settling for rhinestones.

Other commentators have remarked that the growth in resale has, to some extent, democratized fashion, by permitting people with limited budgets to acquire fashion that is, to some extent, opulent. That and the reaction to the disposability of instant fashion has grown the markets that reuse clothes.

A democratization of fashion through more affordable prices has continued this legacy of projecting opulence in some ways, but it has also begun to change the traditional demographic and the top brands within fashion, extending to more designs by minority and diverse designers. Social media and technology have democratized fashion for a larger audience.

Remarkably, through curated resale the secondhand market is projected to grow to $64 billion in three years, and $77 billion in five years. Supply is close to unlimited, because the number of clothing items discarded each year in the US is 36 billion. That number may have increased during the pandemic. Absolutely astonishing. But thankfully people want to wear those used clothes—especially if the clothes are special brands, and there are not billions of the same item on the market. As participants in the industry have recognized:

Other luxury companies took notice when younger people began snapping up iconic products, spurring houses to delve into their own back catalogs and reissue versions of their greatest hits: Witness the renaissance of the Dior Saddle Bag, the Gucci Jackie 1961—the name says it all—and the Fendi Baguette. Prada even launched a line called Re-Nylon, which turns plastic and fishing nets salvaged from the ocean into their trademark satchels. “This is not just a trend,” Belloli [chief commercial and sustainability officer at Farfetch] says.“Technology will make people look at their wardrobes in a different way.”

So what does this all mean? It means that when we need something cool to wear to those social events we once took for granted but now realize are pure gold, if we want to look good without stimulating the excesses of the fashion market, and nothing in our closets quite works, we can buy resale. We can buy resale even for cool clothes to wear when we want to go to the office or the grocery store. Trust us, if you look good when you go about your daily activities it will give you a lift. And it will give a lift to everyone you encounter.

And that means we don’t have to spend our lives in sweatpants. OK, we get it—sweatpants are comfortable. But surely we want more from life than that? Especially as we emerge from lockdown. Save the sweatpants for working out.

And if you need further inspiration, go see the Dior show at the Brooklyn Museum. If you live elsewhere, come visit just to see the show. It is at the museum til 2/22, and it is beyond wonderful. A glorious picture of a lost time, for sure, but oh, my. It will make you want to up your game.

Once inspired, plan a fabulous look for the holidays—and the other days—by shopping in your closet, and shopping resale. Get out there and sparkle again!