[Anchor]
As secondhand trading becomes increasingly active, we are now living in an era where clothes sitting unworn in your closet can turn into cash. The used clothing market has grown to the point where even department stores and major fashion corporations are jumping in.
Reporter Sim Useop has the story.
[Reporter]
College student Lim Hae-rin visited a vintage shop in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.
The skirt worn by Lim, known on social media as a stylish fashionista, is also a secondhand designer piece she purchased for less than a third of its original price.
[Lim Hae-rin / College Student: The price is affordable, but the biggest reason is that vintage items often include things that are now discontinued and hard to find. Vintage clothing has a unique charm that new clothes lack, so when you mix and match them, you can complete a certain vibe.]
A secondhand clothing collection corner has opened right next to famous fashion brand stores inside a department store.
When customers bring in clothes they no longer wear, they receive department store points. The secondhand platform company then washes and inspects the clothes, selling them at affordable prices around 30 percent of their original retail value.
The department store encourages customers to use these points to purchase other products.
[Ju Se-ah / Head of Team at Secondhand Clothing Brand "Anchers": If these were displayed alongside new department store products, it would be hard to tell whether they are secondhand or not—they are in a condition close to new products, and even older generations are actively participating in the (secondhand clothing) market.]
While the entire domestic fashion market is struggling due to a combination of high exchange rates and economic stagnation, the secondhand clothing market continues to grow as recession-driven consumption spreads, centered around the younger generation.
The market is projected to expand from the 5 trillion won range in 2024 to the 10 trillion won range by 2028.
Amid the rapid growth of online secondhand clothing specialty companies such as Fruta and Charan, Musinsa's secondhand clothing sales—which launched in August of last year—have also seen transaction values surge tenfold in just 10 months.
[Kim Ji-woo / Adjunct Professor, Department of Design, Chung-Ang University: Cannibalization is an unavoidable part of the process where secondhand clothing partially replaces new products. However, because there are clear advantages in showcasing content on how to style new products and secondhand clothes together...]
Globally, as the trend toward purchasing clothes that match one's personal taste at reasonable prices grows stronger, there are even forecasts that one out of every four traded garments will be a secondhand item next year.
(Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi, VJ: Jeong Han-wook, Design: Seo Seung-hyun)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.