This winter, recycled garment outlets have now further expanded in Finland and found their way into traditional department stores in Tampere.
Relove, a second-hand clothing chain, opened up for business in the city's Stockmann department store at the end of last year. Meanwhile used clothing reseller Emmy opened up in Tampere's Sokos department store about a week ago.
According to the merchants, it's what customers want.
"One reason is definitely consumer demand for second hand items in department stores," Relove founder and entrepreneur, Noora Hautakangas explained. The firm already has a presence in Helsinki, with two standalone outlets as well as one in Stockmann's flagship department store.
Meanwhile, Emmy's CEO Timo Huhtamäki said that people often think that finding new clothes is easier than sorting through used garments, but noted availability of the items in department stores is helping to change that notion.
"We and department stores share the view that new and used goods should be equally available in stores," Huhtamäki explained.
Both he and Hautakangas are against so-called fast and ultra-fast fashion culture of buying inexpensive clothing that is only used a couple of times and then discarded.
"A common fight against the disposable fashion culture is what unites second-hand shops and department stores," Huhtamäki said, adding that he believes the circular economy of second-hand shopping will enable people to increasingly buy high quality and sustainable products.
At the same time, it does not appear that second-hand sales have decreased the sale of new items, according to Huhtamäki.
Both parties benefit
Meanwhile, Stockmann sales director Hanna Länsivuori and Sokos development director Päivi Juntunen have also noticed the growing popularity of second-hand clothing.
"We manufacture and sell products that last. When consumers want to change or upgrade products, they can sell the old one and then buy a new one. Both parties benefit," Länsivuori explained.
Relove's Hautakangas said she expects that cooperation between the two types of retailers will expand the customer bases of both, as consumers who have never considered buying or selling used clothes will start to see the economic benefits in doing so.
The fashion and textile industry is estimated to be responsible for between 4 to 10 percent of the world's carbon emissions, and also uses up a significant amount of natural resources. On average, Europeans each generate 15 kg of textile waste per year.
That waste ends up in landfills or being incinerated on a vast scale, as Europe's fabric recycling rate stands at about one percent.
However, the opportunities for recycling clothes are constantly being increased. Many clothing chains and individual stores have included the sale of used clothes as part of their offer. The number of flea markets and second-hand stores is also increasing.
"Many international studies indicate that recycled fashion will be twice as big as fast fashion by 2030. It will renew our entire retail structure with a surprisingly large force," Emmy's Huhtamäki said.
