Secondhand Saint Laurent
Written by: Sofia Spadafora | Photography by: Annabel Kiley
Extremely popular among teens and millennials, thrifting is the trendiest way to fight against fast fashion. But there’s also a growing secondhand market in luxury that should not be slept on.
Designer clothing is my blood type. Handbags, wallets, cardholders, sunglasses, sneakers, bracelets, earrings, sweatshirts, winter coats, and everything in between courses through my veins. Anything that is designer isn’t just a want, it’s a need.
Shopping luxury can cure any bad day and any heartbreak. But this addiction is not economical, especially for a college student with a part-time job. Yet the lack of income will not stop this woman’s pursuit of high-end fashion. I believe it to be genetic; the love for designer pieces is present within all of the women in my family tree. Throughout the years, my sister and I have witnessed special gifts of handbags and jewelry gifted to my mom for milestones throughout her life, like the Gucci monogrammed Hobo for her 30th birthday from my dad or the Hermes studded cuff my Lola gave her for starting her own business. As we got older, my sister and I were also gifted designer pieces — they’re precious items that I’ll hopefully pass down to my children one day.
When I was sixteen, I saved my work money, along with checks and cash from years of birthdays and Christmases, to purchase a designer handbag. Looking back, this purchase probably wasn’t the most economical, considering my young age and entry-level barista job at my suburban coffee shop. But one thing was for sure: the cost per wear for this bag was covered. For four consecutive years, I carried my Alexander Wang Rockie duffle crossbody with pebbled black leather and gunmetal hardware absolutely everywhere I went. This bag got no PTO. This was the taste of luxury I needed. After this purchase, I learned that shopping designer would be my safe space and ‘Treat Yo Self’ moment — I just needed to discover a way not to empty my bank account.
One day, my mom came across the consignment platform, The RealReal. She showed me and my sister her new finding, and explained that it’s a store that sells secondhand designer clothing and accessories. At first glance, and with my young eyes, I wasn’t impressed. I thought of it as recycled things that someone else didn’t want, but I was so wrong. It’s so much more than that. I learned that my first impression was incorrect when my mom received one of her first purchases: a Givenchy teal blue envelope clutch. It looked as if it had never been worn, and it even came with a dust bag!
After that, I knew I had to get in on this new wave. I made an account myself and spent hours searching through pages and pages of designer goods. Of course, I was intrigued by the prices and how much more affordable these pieces were. But the price reduction is only the beginning of the benefits of shopping in this market. The selection and range of products are endless. Some listed products are extremely rare, members of discontinued collections, and even from iconic brand collaborations. Upon searching, I came across travel luggage from the Supreme x Louis Vuitton collab from 2017, a collection I thought only fashion icons like Hailey Bieber and Jeffree Star could access. I also found rare Chanel resort pieces from 2002 that I only had seen on my favorite fashion bloggers. Even though I wasn’t in the market for these niche products, it was still thrilling to browse through them. Scrolling through The RealReal’s website quickly became my favorite pastime. I cherished uncovering coveted designer steals within a more curated selection, and I especially loved the reduced prices.
As time passed, I made various purchases from the site. I indulged in a Louis Vuitton Speedy 25, and was ecstatic that I snagged it for 50% off retail prices. After using it several times, I learned that the stamped leather canvas was a material that did not need to be purchased brand new, as it was highly durable and stood the test of time.
In the Design & Merchandising program at Drexel, we uncovered the many detrimental effects the fashion industry has on our planet. Many of my classmates in my major also gush about their thrift finds, why it’s essential to thrift, and how it’s a great alternative to fast fashion. It didn’t take much convincing for me to participate in the thrifting craze, and it gave me an adrenaline rush to find a perfect-fitting pair of jeans that is a fraction of the price and creates no hazards on our environment.
Soon after acknowledging my The RealReal addiction, I found many parallels between high-end consignment shopping and thrifting.
Both are great ways to save money on clothing that we would purchase regardless, and they’re both incredibly beneficial to our planet. Let’s face it: the fashion industry has a huge environmental impact. In 2018 alone, 17 million tons of textile waste were discarded into landfills. This waste added 5.8% of the total Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation for the year. Buying clothes via thrift shops and secondhand platforms can help reduce this waste. As for designer handbags, leather production is hazardous to the environment. The primary pollutant from leather production is chromium, and this chemical leaches into the surrounding waterways of factories. At one Bangladeshi tannery, a nearby poultry farm found that 25% of chickens were found with deadly levels of chromium that stemmed from tannery water runoff. By purchasing leather goods secondhand, you can help reduce the impact of new leather production by giving these goods a second life and not contributing to the pollution caused by industry demand.
After this newfound love for shopping secondhand luxury, I can attest that it’s not only the best way to shop designer, but it’s also the best way to care for our lovely mother earth. Harsh chemicals are not being used as the manufacturing damage has already been done. But also, for the person that constantly craves a new ‘Treat Yo Self’ designer goodie, it’s a great solution that’s easy on your wallet. Let’s be honest: only hot girls can shop environmentally consciously while still having the best fit check. At the end of the day, the outfit isn’t popping off if it’s damaging our planet.