EP.30: The Pros and Cons of Secondhand Fashion With The Vintage Seeker
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In this episode we're joined by Kristina Urquhart from the Vintage Seeker to discuss the pros and cons of the secondhand fashion market and how it can not only repurpose current fashion waste, but be an igniting force of innovation for the industry.
The Guest:
Kristina Urquhart is the founder of The Vintage Seeker and Vintage Sellers Community, and an advocate for the fast-growing secondhand goods industry. She’s a magazine editor and a business journalist who has been developing content and hosting events for niche audiences in the arts, manufacturing, technology and retail sectors for more than 15 years. Kristina believes in the power of small businesses to make a difference in their local communities, and is proud to have developed a social enterprise that provides a platform for independent shop owners.
In October 2022, she launched her newest development; Vintage Sellers Community, which is a professional development and networking membership designed for sellers to engage and improve their business skills.
The Episode At A Glance:
Is Secondhand Fashion Solving Fashion’s Bigger Problems?
To kickstart the episode, Kristina and I discuss the bigger fashion problems and how secondhand contributes to them. We also address a common misconception about secondhand fashion and its impact on reducing fashion waste. While secondhand fashion doesn't actually reduce any waste in the fashion industry, it diverts waste from landfills and repurposes it in new, innovative and exciting ways. Secondhand fashion still is a necessary and imperative part of circular fashion, however, there are many limitations that it plays when it comes to waste reduction.
Pros and Cons of Secondhand Fashion
In this section, we discussed the pros and cons of the secondhand/resale market and how they impact the industry as a whole. Although we delve into more detail in the episode, I'll provide a brief overview here.
One of the drawbacks we mentioned is that some clothes that are not selected from rag houses for resale are either burned or shipped to countries in the global south to be dealt with. Unfortunately, these clothes often end up in deserts in Chile, waste fields in Ghana, and other places that lack the capacity to manage our excess fashion waste.
On the other hand, we also highlighted several benefits of the secondhand market. For instance, it reduces clothing waste and slows down the purchase of new clothes, which could encourage fashion brands to decrease production. Additionally, people are learning to appreciate and care for their clothes for a more extended period, and so much more.
For a comprehensive understanding of the pros and cons of secondhand fashion, we encourage you to listen to the full episode.
How Secondhand Fashion Drives Innovation In Fashion
Before we closed off the conversation, Kristina and I discussed how secondhand fashion can drive innovation for the industry as a whole. We explored how it encourages rethinking sewing and construction techniques to minimize fabric waste. We also talked about creating capsule collections from fabric off-cuts to repurpose production waste, patchwork, upcycling, and more. To hear more, tune in to the episode to get inspired with ideas on how secondhand fashion can transform the fashion industry.
EP.30/
Kristina Urquhart
(she/her)
