Consequence of inflation – high demand for second-hand fashion: impending bottleneck?

“There is so much clothing in the world right now that you don’t have to produce anything new for 100 years and we all still have enough to wear,” said Diana Ranegger Clarissa Kober and Johanna Kohlenberger, who only has second-hand clothing.

Rethinking consumer behaviour
“It all started because we thought 80s and 90s clothes were stylish, but we couldn’t buy them anywhere in Graz. Later on, the idea of ​​sustainability came along too.”

Shops like hers or the Bohemian Soul Beehive on Rösselmühlgasse have become flagships for a rethinking of consumer behaviour: “Buying second-hand, especially for those under 25, is no longer a sign of poverty, as it may have been in the past, but an expression of something new Awareness of sustainability and individuality,” say Beehive operators Debbie Adams and Erlend Depine.

Caritas also sees this trend in the 33 Carla stores in the country: “People who want to be sustainable and individual are an increasing part of our customers,” explains Tamara Puff of Caritas.

The need for help from Caritas is increasing
But of course there are also people for whom second-hand clothing is not a style choice, but a necessity: “We give Caritas vouchers to the needy, with which they can shop in Carla stores. Demand has been consistently high for years – in 2021 8000 vouchers were However, we expect it to increase further in the coming months.”

Because while the increasing poverty with food, rent or electricity quickly became clear, it is not so obvious when it comes to clothing: “But when the new school year starts and the winter season comes, it becomes clear for the first time how many Styrians do not want a new school bag. for children or new winter shoes for themselves.”

Second-hand doesn’t necessarily have to be cheaper
The Carla shops and vintage shops are often not the cheapest option at all: cheaply produced new goods – the so-called fast fashion – often significantly undercut second-hand goods in price: “But that is poor quality, which is often lost again after three washes. Ranegger says, “We can’t and don’t want to keep up with our pricing policy in the Carla stores,” says Puff.

So it is not only the price, but also the quality that makes yesterday’s fashion attractive to more and more customers – not only to young people: “We often notice that parents come with their children and then shop for themselves as well, because they see that the goods are beautiful and of good quality,” says Depine.

But where does the product actually come from? Like Dog Days of Summer, it’s bought at flea markets, private purchases, and online retailers: “We select the right thing for the store, wash the goods, try to present them beautifully,” says Adams.

3200 tons of used goods donated to Caritas
The goods in the Caritas stores come almost exclusively from donations. In 2021 alone, 3,200 tons were donated in Styria: “But up to 30 percent of this is waste,” reports Puff. Even rotten meat and dead pets have already been found in the 300 old clothing containers.

Collecting the goods, sorting them, checking quality and reviewing prices: about 800 transit employees at Caritas are responsible for this. These are people who cannot find a place in the first labor market or who must first be reintegrated there.

Feared lack of clothing donations
Ultimately, only about a quarter of the donated goods actually find their way to the Carla stores. There is still no shortage of clothing donations, but there are fears for the coming months: “Because everything is becoming more expensive, more and more people are wearing their clothes themselves instead of donating them. Then we could miss these goods for people in need,” fears Tamara Puff.