A landmark new study from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Vestiaire Collective, released on October 9, 2025, demonstrates that the global market for secondhand fashion and luxury is poised to hit $360 billion by 2030, expanding at triple the rate of the firsthand sector. The 2025 report, Resale’s Next Chapter – How Fashion and Luxury Brands Can Win in the Secondhand Market, is based on responses from 7,800 Vestiaire Collective users and offers unprecedented insight into why pre-loved apparel is moving from niche to norm, especially among Gen Z and millennial consumers.
- Secondhand Apparel: Essential, Mainstream, and Fast-Growing
- Why Are Shoppers Turning to Secondhand?
- Technology & Digital Product Passports (DPP): Enabling Trust, Growth, and Transparency
- Circularity as Core Strategy: From Linear to Infinite Wardrobes
- Industry Recommendations: Brand Playbook for the Resale Era
- Looking Forward
Secondhand Apparel: Essential, Mainstream, and Fast-Growing
“Resale is now firmly embedded in how people shop and build their wardrobes. Today, it’s a deliberate choice,” says Fanny Moizant, cofounder and president of Vestiaire Collective. Already, the report states, resale accounts for 28% of users’ wardrobes—rising to 30% for clothing and 40% for handbags.
The global resale market is forecast to grow 10% annually, and multiple industry sources corroborate this trajectory:
- Future Market Insights projects the secondhand apparel market will climb, noting Gen Z’s sustainability focus and online innovation as key growth engines.
- Statista confirms near-doubling of the EU secondhand market by 2025, while ThredUp anticipates global recommerce.
- GMI Insights places the total 2025 second-hand fashion market.
Why Are Shoppers Turning to Secondhand?
Key drivers highlighted by BCG, Vestiaire, and additional studies:
- Affordability rules: Nearly 80% say lower prices are the top draw.
- Variety and Uniqueness: Around 55% love the treasure-hunt aspect and rare finds.
- Sustainability: Forty percent cite environmental concerns—a view echoed Gen Z/millennials who prioritize eco-friendly choices.
- Social and Influencer Impact: Social media, thrift hauls, and celebrity endorsements accelerate resale’s mainstreaming, normalizing secondhand as a cool and responsible choice.
- Gen Z’s leadership: Gen Z’s secondhand share of wardrobe is 32% globally—45% for handbags, 66% in the US—with 54% saying they prefer secondhand if options exist, and nearly half selling pre-owned fashion in the past year.
- Income Opportunities: Particularly in the US, resale is viewed as a genuine side hustle, with Americans 4x more likely to treat resale as a part-time or full-time job.
Technology & Digital Product Passports (DPP): Enabling Trust, Growth, and Transparency
With resale surging, digital product passports (DPPs) are set to become a game-changer. These digital records trace an item’s origin, materials, history, and authenticity—crucial for luxury and for reducing fraud.
Circularity as Core Strategy: From Linear to Infinite Wardrobes
I envisioned the future of fashion to be circular, where every item could live many lives, shares Fanny Moizant. Vestiaire enables this through seamless resale journeys, transparency, and tech that transforms the wardrobe into a dynamic asset—not just a closet, but a marketplace for repeat use, earning, and sustainability.
Other platforms—ThredUp, The RealReal, Poshmark, and even traditional brands collaborating with resale—mirror this vision, as brands seek to reduce overproduction costs and meet new consumer values.
Industry Recommendations: Brand Playbook for the Resale Era
- Lean In, Don’t Lag: Platforms and brands should proactively integrate resale, digital traceability, and circular services as core business units, not afterthoughts.
- Engage Gen Z, Millennials, and Social Communities: Meet them where they are—on mobile, on social commerce, with community selling, and influencer partnerships.
- Educate on Digital Passports: There is a major awareness gap—a chance for first-movers to lead and win trust.
- Deliver Variety, Value, and Eco-Impact: Curate rare finds, offer competitive prices, and message sustainability at every touchpoint.
Looking Forward
Whether driven by price, authenticity, sustainability, or social engagement, resale is set to become a pillar of the global fashion economy, reshaping retail strategy for decades to come. As tech enhances transparency and Gen Z demands circularity, every brand, luxury or mass, must innovate for a multi-life, digital-first wardrobe.
