When my husband and I started our business in 1993 we opened a shop selling second hand clothing. We soon expanded into selling general household second hand goods and then graduated to selling antiques and collectibles online. Throughout all the years we have kept on selling second hand clothing.
I have noticed the popularity of buying second hand clothes waxes and wanes. During slow periods I simply purchase less. The same has been true for my online clothing site. For a while it did really well, then basically fell dormant to the extent I considered closing it down entirely. I have reduced my online stock from about 1500 items on average, to 200 items.
Lately there has been an upsurge in demand for the clothing I have listed. I could conclude this is a reaction to our country's deteriorating economy. South Africa has recently been downgraded to junk status, but I suspect there is something much more encouraging going on.
I have noticed among young people (my daughter is 18) there is a greater desire to express their individuality. Mixing and matching clothing of countless styles and eras more than serves this purpose. Younger people, in my experience, seem to be more cost conscious and environmentally aware as well. I have always worn second hand clothing. I have masses streaming into the shop and I have first pick! It freaks me out that say 3 items of fair to good quality items of clothing costs around R1000. ($75). In our shop at the moment we have a stunning oregon pine bookshelf that, with care, can last for hundreds of years, for R1000 ($75).
Hopefully I will keep benefiting from this trend. But what encourages me the most is the mindset behind the purchase of used clothing. Anything that slows our fast paced lives is vital to our communal well being. In this blog I have shared photos of some stunning jackets I have recently listed. I will share some of the other pieces in the next few blogs.
