A dedicated online marketplace has been launched where users can find and purchase pre-loved clothing and accessories. The brainchild of Sydney-based couple Rogan and Kim Carroll, the ReHomed Clothing Marketplace aims to not only give second-hand clothes a new lease of life but also address the problem of waste generated by the fashion industry.
Recent research noted that the average person today buys 60 per cent more items of clothing than they did 15 years ago, but consumers keep that clothing for only half as long as they used to. As a result, these clothes end up on the landfill and eventually contributing 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions each year.
The study noted that such waste is partly attributed to the attitude among consumers, with one in three young women consider clothes ‘old’ after wearing them once or twice and one in seven consider it a fashion faux pas to be photographed in an outfit twice.
Given the growing environmental consciousness among a growing number of consumers, ReHomed looks to tap into the segment of the market. At the same time, it is looking to take advantage of the growing popularity of second-hand clothing sales in other parts of the world. According to US consignment store group, ThredUp, the resale of second-hand clothing has grown 21 times faster than retail apparel over the past 3 years.
ReHomed guarantees that the clothing items being listed on the marketplace, whilst second-hand, are more than often used once or twice with many items not even worn, with tags still attached. Customers are assured of the quality of the clothes featured on the store.
Whereas typical marketplaces tend to be “local” with pickup as the default, causing issues with face-to-face transactions, ReHomed aims to make transactions simpler and with fewer hassles through post-delivery tracking as the default.
“Many a story has been recounted to me about getting scammed or forced to sell at a discount upon pickup using the likes of Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace,” Rogan Carroll, co-founder of ReHomed Clothing, said. “ReHomed doesn’t have that problem as the price is set, accepted, and not received by the Seller until the tracked item is received.
