Close Menu
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing & Mental Health
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
Trending
  • How Generative AI is Giving SMEs a Marketing Edge
  • £20k grant for female-founded SME up for grabs
  • Deploying fintech solutions to boost climate resilience for African farmers
  • An Interview with Alexandra Palt: A sustainability leader and L’Oréal’s CSO
  • How Three Small Businesses Are Winning Big With ERP
  • As Seen on BBC Panorama – Brad Burton to Headline The South West Expo in Swindon
  • New Industrial Strategy must spark growth and opportunity for small businesses
  • Selling a business: The steps too many owners miss
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
You are at:Home»Environment»How second hand clothing stores are riding the sustainability boom
Vintage Clobber second hand clothing store

How second hand clothing stores are riding the sustainability boom

0
Posted By sme-admin on February 11, 2022 Environment, Features

With Gen Z turning their back on fast fashion, the second-hand clothing market has witnessed exponential growth. Vintage stores, charity shops, and most recently, online offerings such as Depop and Etsy, are seeing massive demand as consumers turn to ethical clothing options.

Richard Mason Founded Bournemouth based vintage shop ‘Clobber’ in 1988. Over forty years later and his business is considered one of the most noteworthy vintage shops nationwide.

Vintage ClobberHaving set up Clobber Vintage in 1988, I have seen the second-hand clothing market shift and change over a number of decades – and witnessed first hand the changes that have taken place. Whilst the scene has previously experienced popularity booms, often linked to certain films and TV shows, such as ‘Peaky Blinders’, Gen Z is embracing vintage fashion for ethical reasons, not off the back of pop culture; the second-hand clothing market is now seen as the most sustainable, affordable, and crucially, most stylish alternative to fast fashion.

Committed to shopping ethically, Gen Z has fully embraced second-hand clothing. Apps like Depop, Etsy, and Vinted have enabled them to play a key role in the market, irrespective of prior knowledge or experience. At Clobber, the rails are filled with clothes from as far back as the 1920s and everything is hand procured and carefully selected. Finding high-quality vintage stock is the hardest aspect of the job; a nice dress will sell itself, it’s finding the dress that is the tricky part. However, increasingly we are seeing young people acquire bulk vintage cheaply before listing it for sale on sites like Depop. Despite contributing less time and effort, this method is still giving online merchants access to huge profits.

The second-hand market as a whole is set to double in size to $77bn by 2025, and with nearly half of Gen Z and Millennial consumers stating they purchased second hand clothing last year, they are the key driving force behind the movement. Because of their interest, the resale market specifically is predicted to grow at a rate 11 times faster than the traditional retail market.

So where does this leave brick and mortar shops like Clobber? Despite Gen Z capitalising on a new online era, and the pandemic inevitably reducing consumer’s desire to shop in person, traditional vintage stores still play a key role in providing a unique and fulfilling customer experience. There are few background checks for vendors on online marketplaces, and scams are rife. With trusted stores like Clobber, you can be sure that what we sell is genuinely vintage, vetted, and sustainably sourced. In-person vintage shopping is a more authentic, informed, and exciting experience for the consumer.

Surviving the pandemic was not easy, but we managed, and embracing merchant technology helped us maintain the foothold we spent decades establishing. Using solutions provided by our payments provider SumUp (www.sumup.co.uk), we oversaw the integration of contactless payment and QR codes. By allowing us to streamline payment for consumers during the pandemic, and cope with the rising demand for second-hand clothing once restrictions were lifted, this technology helped to level the playing field and allowed us to compete with online marketplaces.

Vintage ClobberWith statistics from Simply Business estimating that the pandemic will cost SME’s around £126.6 billion, it is hugely important to continue to support small community-centred businesses. Whilst the pandemic offered many new merchants a chance to clear out their wardrobes and list their pre-loved clothing, for local vintage stores countrywide it was about adapting to survive. With a return to normality now looking closer than ever, the future is bright – for both in-person and online vintage sellers alike.

 

Vintage Clobber logo

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

An Interview with Alexandra Palt: A sustainability leader and L’Oréal’s CSO

Selling a business: The steps too many owners miss

How much experience do you need to be a FTSE 100 CEO?

Comments are closed.

Follow SME Today on Linkedin and share all the topics you find interesting
Get £100 of free trades - ii trading account

The Newsletter

Join our mailing list for the best SME stories, handpicked and delivered direct to your inbox every two weeks!

Sign Up
Events Calendar
    • Marketing
    July 4, 2025

    How Generative AI is Giving SMEs a Marketing Edge

    June 25, 2025

    From PLT to Twitter X: Business Branding Decisions That Backfired

    • Finance
    July 4, 2025

    £20k grant for female-founded SME up for grabs

    July 4, 2025

    Deploying fintech solutions to boost climate resilience for African farmers

    • Health & Safety
    July 1, 2025

    Temperatures Soaring: Is Your Workplace Becoming Unsafe?

    January 29, 2025

    UK takeaways guilty of shocking hygiene failures:

    • Events
    July 4, 2025

    £20k grant for female-founded SME up for grabs

    July 2, 2025

    As Seen on BBC Panorama – Brad Burton to Headline The South West Expo in Swindon

    • Community
    June 23, 2025

    Celebrating One Year In Fairford Supporting The Community

    June 2, 2025

    National Charity Accelerates Children’s Reading Through New Corporate Partnership

    • Food & Drink
    June 23, 2025

    England Cricket Captain, Ben Stokes OBE, takes a stake in Spencer Matthews’ alcohol-free spirits brand, CleanCo

    June 16, 2025

    Hospitality industry risks collapse

    • Books
    April 24, 2025

    Values-Driven Professionalism: A Path to Client Loyalty

    December 2, 2024

    Banish the banshee boss: how to lead without fear – addressing the issue of fear-based management and how NOT to be this manager

    About

    SME Today is published by the same team who deliver The Great British Expos’. We have been organising various corporate events for the last 10 years, with a strong track record of producing well managed and attended business events across the UK.

    Join Our Mailing List

    Receive the latest news and updates from SMEToday.
    Read our Latest Newsletter:


    Sign Up
    X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    Most Recent Posts
    July 4, 2025

    How Generative AI is Giving SMEs a Marketing Edge

    July 4, 2025

    £20k grant for female-founded SME up for grabs

    July 4, 2025

    Deploying fintech solutions to boost climate resilience for African farmers

    July 3, 2025

    An Interview with Alexandra Palt: A sustainability leader and L’Oréal’s CSO

    July 3, 2025

    How Three Small Businesses Are Winning Big With ERP

    Categories
    • Books
    • Community & Charity
    • Education and Training
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Features
    • Finance
    • Food and Drink
    • Health & Safety
    • HR & Recruitment
    • In Profile
    • Legal
    • Marketing
    • News
    • Property & Development
    • Sponsored Content
    • Technology
    • Transport & Tourism
    • Wellbeing & Mental Health

    Copyright © 2020 SME Today.

    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    Copyright © 2025 SME Today.
    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Privacy
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.