Cutting across Bond Street the other day was nothing short of depressing. At the crossroads with Brook Street where Fenwicks sat, three out of the four corner stores are empty. Opposite the old department store is the boarded-up chasm of where Victoria’s Secret once had queues out the door.
However, if you look under the surface in this town, everyone’s still shopping — in a more local, covert, plain brown paper bag sort of way. At last week’s Simone Rocha sample sale at the designers’ studio in Haggerston, fans were queuing in the rain to get hold of her marked-down dresses. Rocha is having more than a white-hot minute. In January her haute couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier was a viral and industry hit; her recent Croc collaboration sold out in 10 minutes. It’s unsurprising then that Chanel face Keira Knightley was spotted rummaging at the VIP preview before it opened to the public. Even movie stars love a bargain.
A friend’s husband, who has spent a couple of months out of work, has just started a new role. His biggest concern? Maintaining his raging Vinted habit. Everyone I know is funding their summer holiday through selling off old stuff. My daughter’s birthday is next month and any new clothes she gets will come from there — it’s a treasure trove of barely worn children’s wear, from brands such as Mini Rodini, the super-smart Scandi sustainable brand with much friendlier pricing when second-hand.
Unsurprisingly the resale market is burgeoning. According to a study by Thred up/GlobalData, second-hand is growing 15 times more than the overall fashion market. A new report by the Green Alliance released for Earth Day has found that 60 per cent of shoppers own clothes they don’t regularly wear. eBay has found that we only wear around 35 per cent of our wardrobe on a daily basis.
Those bedroom chair piles are ripe for cashing in — the megalith seller has recently removed all fees and buying and selling second-hand clothes, so it’s easier than ever. Of course there’s second-hand and then there’s second-hand, but everyone’s at it.
Earlier this year Zadie Smith and ex-Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman sold off their pre-loved designer bits for local Willesden food poverty charity Laurence’s Larder, with a second sale over the weekend, too. Meanwhile in Hackney, Baraboux opened its doors for a closet sale this weekend (think vintage Issey Miyake and Jean Paul Gaultier) — if you missed out, you can make private appointments to view the collection; loads of fashion stylists sell via The Reloved Club’s regular and very well curated Walthamstow pop-up.
There’s also influencer Jamie Fallon’s fledgling Roomy market which has thrown a series of successful sales of clothing in sizes 16-28 (featuring Ganni, Arket and Marina Rinaldi) — making a good case for inclusivity in an area where it’s always been harder to find bigger sizes. Its next market is set to appear in south London in June. It also all points to something else — that when it comes to shopping, we crave interaction, people and — crucially — fun.
From Asos to Matches, online shopping has taken a dire downturn, but if you can harness the thrill and satisfaction of the bargain-hunter experience there are hordes of us clamouring to unleash our spending (and selling) power.
