5 Preloved Fashion Myths BUSTED

Why wouldn't you buy preloved fashion? After all, it saves our planet from being overrun by the mountains of waste we're creating. You still get to wear quality clothing and you can even save money when you buy second hand.

In today's blog we're going to try to bust some of the myths that people might have when thinking about buying second hand.

5 Second Hand Preloved Fashion Myths Busted

1. "Second hand clothes are dirty"

People do worry about the cleanliness of second hand clothes. While preloved fashion does have a previous owner, it doesn't mean they've neglected to care for the garment. It is a basic requirement for anyone selling or donating clothes to make sure they wash their clothes before sending them on!

This blog post gives some good advice about how to care for your new second hand clothes. At the end of the day, you can still be super careful about your new preloved threads and take precautions to wash them properly.

2. "Second hand clothes are poor quality - no one wants them!"

Second hand is quite a vague category. It basically means that the clothes have had more than one owner. But the owner might have barely worn that dress in their wardrobe, maybe as a one off for a special event. Clothes are made to last hundreds of uses. And if you're really careful with clothes they can last even longer.

We only sell quality second hand items in store and online that are in great condition or they are otherwise described where they have any minor wear and tear. We are often amazed at the deadstock, returns as well as donations that we receive. Most of it is in great condition and ready for a whole new life.

Often when you're shopping on the likes of Depop (Find our store here) you can find trendy items and outfits that people only wear a few times.

Now, this is not something we endorse or believe, but there are people out there that think that you can't wear the same outfit at an event or for a photograph that gets uploaded to social media.

"Let’s just say, wearing an outfit more than once is seen as a fashion crime," says presenter Sukaina Benzakour.

While this is a wasteful way of thinking, if people choose to resell, swap or rent clothes it does at least mean that the clothes are put to good use and given a new life.

It's easier than ever to quickly go online (log onto our website, Depop or Vinted) and find great quality items that are still 'trendy' and may have never been truly worn!

3. "Vintage is overpriced for what it is"

As people turn more and more to vintage fashion (check out the new vintage store on Northumberland Street, Newcastle) prices start creeping up.

Again, vintage is one of those words that have a lot of wriggle room. Vintage might just mean a high street brand t-shirt that you bought 20 years ago. But some vintage sellers are flogging designer gear priced at £100 for a Saint Laurent top.

We stock good quality brands at our store on Gateshead High Street and online, but at time of writing our most expensive item listed is a £32 L.K Bennett dress. It's a beautiful silk dress that would have originally been bought for a lot more.

We're moving away from cheaply made fast-fashion, but our prices for higher quality goods are fair - we just want to find these brilliant clothes a new home!

4. "Who wants to buy old clothes? I want to buy the latest fashion..."

Woah stop right there! Second hand doesn't mean wearing your granddad's garish shirt that he bought on holiday all those years ago.

We have an over abundance of clothes on this planet, which includes a whole load of dead stock and returns that we are making on a daily basis. If you browse our collection you'll find lots of brands that are still bang up to date.

You'll also find plenty of timeless pieces and those classic everyday clothes that will never go 'out of fashion'.

It is time to stop buying brand new clothes especially if we're just chasing the latest fashion trends.

5. "Buying second hand takes too long! Buying new is quicker."

You know where to find us online. It's really as simple as clicking a few buttons.

Sometimes, though, you might need to do a little bit more digging to find something that's in your size. After all, we rarely have two of the same item.

But isn't that a good thing? Rather than browsing a rack of the same item in three different colourways, we curate our items by theme in store. This includes our workwear, activewear, evening wear and autumnal rail.

Got a friend that needs a bit of convincing to buy second hand clothes? Share this post with them! You'll be doing your bit to help reduce the amount of fashion that ends up in landfill.