Second-hand clothing is one of the most accessible doors to promote sustainable fashion, and young people are championing this option. The concern of centennials about the impact of industry in general, and fashion in particular, on the environment, has made them the generation that consumes the most second-hand clothing. And this has direct effects on the transformation of the second-hand fashion sector itself and on the business strategies of the fashion industry internationally.
Observing the commercial fabric in Barcelona, it is clear how these priorities have reached large cities and how the offer of products that have been given a second life has increased, with acceptable quality and price levels, whether through online or in-person sales.
One of these protagonists is the network of Humana Fundación Pueblo en Pueblo stores which, driven by the demand of new generations --centennials, young people born between 1990 and 2010, and millennials, from the 80s--, has just opened a store in Barcelona with second-hand vintage clothing.
The establishment located in the city center, specifically on Ronda Universitat, has 500 square meters, of which 210 square meters have already been opened to the public with all the retro clothing. The real estate consultancy, Laborde Marcet, has advised Humana in the decision-making of this strategic location because it considers that the center of Barcelona has become "a small oasis for second-hand fashion" in arteries such as Tallers and Portaferrissa streets, details the director of retail at Laborde Marcet, Ángela Sánchez.
The center of Barcelona has become a small oasis for second-hand fashion, in arteries such as Tallers and Portaferrissa streetsThe rise of sustainability and the choice of a strategic point "allows us to expand our target audience, accessing increasingly younger customers who are aware of environmental protection. In addition, it forces us to handle other codes and tools to offer them a service and items that satisfy their needs.They are young but very demanding, so they force us to move forward and try to be better," explains Rafael Mas, director of external relations at Humana.
Not only that, since the spokesperson for Humana anticipates that "the following generations, like Alpha, which will be one hundred percent digital, will presumably have internalized the consumption of second-hand fashion. Reluctance will, therefore, be a thing of the past, and re-sale or pre-loved fashion will dominate an increasingly important part of the market." He corroborates this with data: 35% of the network's store customers are between 15 and 40 years old, "an unthinkable fact a few years ago" that reflects a growing interest in second-hand fashion among young people.
After the opening on Ronda Universitat, Humana wants to open another vintage point of sale in Barcelona, in the Francesc Cambó area, a street where it already has a store. "Undoubtedly, given that vintage garments are among those with the most potential demand, this type of point of sale perfectly complements our family store model, the most widespread in our network," says Rafael Mas.
Established in Barcelona since 1987, Humana has 45 stores throughout Spain. It currently works with 21 points of sale in the Catalan capital ---with plans to open between 2 and 3 more this 2022---, 22 stores in Madrid and another two in Seville and Granada. In 2021, Humana establishments sold 5.8 million garments and accessories and registered nearly 2 million customers.
The head of external relations states that, as a non-profit organization, "all the resources generated are allocated to international development cooperation programs in Africa, Latin America and Asia and to local support and urban agriculture in Spain."
Collection system
Within this expansion plan, Humana will continue to bet on Barcelona and Madrid, "cities that still have great growth potential", and where it has "two textile preparation plants for reuse, specifically in L'Ametlla del Vallès and Leganés (Madrid). Rafael Mas states that this logistical structure "promotes local and proximity reuse". They also have textile transfer centers in Santiago de Compostela, Llanera-Asturias, Valencia, and Seville. The association's total workforce consists of 600 workers from more than 20 nationalities, 75% of whom are women ---"with our general director, Elisabeth Molnar, at the helm", Mas highlights---.
The facilities of the logistics network manage the textile collected through more than 5,000 containers distributed throughout the territory through agreements established with 1,500 city councils and public entities and companies.
The recovered textile undergoes a preparation process for reuse ---eminently manual but supported by semi-mechanized means--- which allows 9 out of 10 garments to have a second life, through their reuse or recycling, according to the foundation's spokesperson.
An international trend
The interest of young people in second-hand products is an international phenomenon unrelated to the standard of living in cities. This is shown by the latest edition of the annual report by ThredUp, a California company specializing in the sale of second-hand clothing, which shows that this market will double in five years.
After the pandemic lockdown accelerated the used clothing market, data confirms that about 33 million consumers bought second-hand clothing for the first time during 2020. Of these, seven out of 10 consumers are willing to acquire more products of this type, highlighting the special interest of those belonging to Generation Z and Millennials.