The Era Where 'Worn Clothes' Become Money... Second-Hand Apparel Thrives Amid High Inflation

[Anchor]

With prices so high these days, many people are buying second-hand clothes. The used market has grown so large that even department stores and major fashion companies are now jumping into the fray.

Morning Zoom-in, with reporter Sim Useop.

[Reporter]

College student Lim Hae-rin visited a vintage shop in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.

The skirt worn by Lim, known as a stylish fashionista on social media, is also a second-hand item by a famous designer that she bought for less than a third of its original price.

[Lim Hae-rin / College Student: The price is affordable, but the biggest thing is that vintage items often include things that are now discontinued and hard to find. Vintage has a uniqueness that new clothes lack, so when you mix and match them, you can complete a certain vibe.]

A second-hand clothing collection corner has opened next to famous fashion brand stores in a department store.

When customers bring in clothes they no longer wear, they receive department store points, while the second-hand company launders and inspects the clothes before selling them cheaply at about 30 percent of the original price.

The department store encourages customers to buy other products with the points.

[Ju Se-ah / Team Leader at Second-Hand Apparel 'Antchers': If these were displayed alongside new department store products, the condition is so close to new that it would be hard to tell whether they are used or not, and even older generations are participating quite a bit in the (second-hand clothing) market.]

While the entire domestic fashion market is struggling due to high exchange rates and economic recession, the second-hand clothing market continues to grow as recession-driven consumption spreads, centered around the younger generation.

It is projected to grow from the 5 trillion won range in 2024 to the 10 trillion won range by 2028.

Amid the rapid growth of online second-hand clothing platforms such as Fruits and Charan, transaction values for Musinsa's second-hand clothing sales, which launched in August of last year, have also surged tenfold in just 10 months.

[Kim Ji-woo / Adjunct Professor, Department of Design, Chung-Ang University: Cannibalization is an inevitable part of the process where second-hand clothing partially replaces new products. However, there is a clear advantage in showcasing content that styles new products and second-hand clothes together...]

Globally, as the trend of reasonably purchasing clothes that fit one's personal taste grows, there are even forecasts that one out of every four traded garments will be a second-hand item next year.

(Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi, VJ: Jeong Han-wook, Design: Seo Seung-hyun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.