The Green Classroom

Preloved fashion purchases are not just smart but also great for sustainability; a total win-win!!

Fashion consumption behavior has radically changed in the last two decades. The onset of fast fashion and the appetite of fashion consumers has pushed the fashion industry to produce huge quantities of fashion goods. Gone are the days when people purchased new clothes or accessories for an occasion. Today, impulse buying or retail therapy are the trends influencing consumer purchase behavior. Owning something new has become a yardstick to measuring happiness in some cases.

For the rich and affluent affording high end designer clothing and accessories has never been a challenge, however these items were a far-fetched dream for people with a limited budget, until, boutiques and retail stores selling “preloved” items began to appear and become popular. According to a report by Fashion United, a leading fashion website “The secondhand market by 2022, is expected to generate some 400 billion US dollars, with fashion (apparel, footwear and accessories) leading the way.”

In the UAE, there are some noteworthy e-commerce and brick and mortar outlets that retail second-hand luxury fashion clothing and accessories. All the big names in the business such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Dolce and Gabbana, Michael Kors, Kate Spade etc. can now be bought at a much lower cost in these stores. Some of the outlets that you could pay a visit to if you are a servant to luxury fashion but do not intend to break the bank are Luxury Closet, Retold, Bagatelle Boutique, Garderobe, The Closet, The Mode.