Second hand clothing continues to rise in popularity as op shops in the Hunter-Central Coast region continue to break record sales with owners claiming the demographics of their store has switched from the elderly to youth.
THREDUPs 2023 report has highlighted the reason for the rapid influx as young people are becoming more conservative around sustainability and eco-friendly fashion.
Lorn’s Jason Fox co-owns the Lifeline second hand shops within the Hunter region.
“It’s so strange having so many trendy young kids walking into our stores,” he said.
“After being in the industry for ages it is the biggest change I’ve ever seen.
“They buy a lot more which is great for Lifeline as we are breaking records in the stores.”
The rise of fast fashion over the last five years has many considering clothing as a disposable commodity. Producing, selling, and buying new clothes is now easier, faster, and cheaper than ever before.
In the 2020-2021 financial year, 72% of Australians had bought a piece of second hand clothing. This is up from 53% in the 2019-2020 financial year.
Additionally, the THREDUPs 2023 report states that the second hand industry will double in size by 2027. The majority of this growth is expected to come from new shoppers, meaning more people are converting to the second hand market.
Copacabana’s Katie Allen was the former co-owner of Lifeline Central Coast stores.
“June last year was the first time young people began to come into the stores,” she said.
“The majority would go op shop to op shop rather than going to Erina Fair.
“It was so awesome to see and really refreshed the industry.”
The foot traffic throughout the charity op shops helps support a number of causes, raising both awareness for social issues and providing much needed funding.
