Secondhand September - It's here!

Its no secret, we love a good preloved and secondhand shop all year round here at Comhla, its why we created a whole directory of curated preloved fashion fashion and talented menders who can help you tailor your pieces when you find them.

And with #SecondhandSeptember in full swing, its officially the perfect moment for us to take a look into the world of secondhand clothing and explore all the unique ways that preloved can offer us to rethink our wardrobe status quo. 

After musing after the fact that we may well have all reached peak stuff, and what we should really be doing about it, we decided to take a peek into the recent preloved boom. 

With major celebrity and fashion stylist endorsements and TV shows like Love Island putting the lens firmly on secondhand this year, a new light has been shone on a fashion sector which has been around since fashion began - but fell out of the limelight as something less fashionable or glamourous. 

But its officially 2022 and preloved and secondhand fashion is having a much-needed and well deserved facelift and revival. And just in time too! It is estimated that the preloved fashion trend could be one of the fastest ways to reduce our impacts on the environment. In fact, according to the 2022 Resale Report by ThredUp, and GreenStory Fashion Calculator, the carbon and water footprint reduction potential of buying something secondhand rather than brand new can be anything between a whopping 60-70% reduction. With so much clothing already in circulation, buying preloved is a great way to divert a brand new purchase (those folks at ThredUp, they reckon 1 billion purchased went from new to resale last year!) - to be honest who can tell the difference once its in your wardrobe and you love how it looks on!

It is estimated that the preloved and secondhand fashion market will more than double by 2026, growing 3x faster than the global apparel market. Websites, apps, Instagram sellers are popping up everywhere, elevating the trend to a viable way to shop regularly. 

Frankly, there has never been a more apt time to be dusting off your thrifting shoes and taking a step into the world of preloved. 

The reasons to shop secondhand are compelling - price, brands, environmental savings, reduced waste - there are tonnes of brilliant reasons to get involved. So, look out for our Top Tips for Buying Pre-loved and peruse our curations in Extend, to enjoy preloved style to the full.