The Resale Explosion: 17 Fashion Brands Launch Second-Hand Programmes in a Single Quarter

TL;DR
Fashion resale is growing rapidly and more and more brands are launching their own second-hand programmes. In a single quarter, 17 companies joined this trend to capture value beyond the first sale and adapt to new market demands.

Second-hand fashion is entering a new growth phase. During the third quarter of 2025, 17 fashion brands launched their own resale programmes, a clear sign that resale is becoming consolidated within the commercial strategy of many companies in the sector.

Source: The Fashion Resale Report – Q3 – December 2025

For years, resale was dominated by third-party platforms and specialised marketplaces. Today, brands are looking to participate directly in that market, regaining control over the life cycle of their products and creating new channels for customer relationships.

The context also favours this move. The global second-hand fashion market is growing at a significantly higher rate than traditional fashion and is attracting investment, technology and new operating models.

A combination of consumer demand, regulatory pressure and technological improvements is driving a structural change in the sector. This article analyses what is behind this explosion and what it means for brands, consumers and the planet.

What it Means When a Brand Launches a Resale Programme

When a fashion company launches its own resale programme, it is taking control of something that was already happening without it: its customers were selling and buying its used garments on external platforms such as Vinted, Wallapop or Depop.

The novelty is that the brand now decides to intervene in that circuit. It begins to participate directly in the purchase, collection or resale of used garments from its own catalogue. Instead of just selling new products, the company introduces mechanisms so that garments have several commercial lives.

Common resale models:

• “Take-back” programmes: The customer hands in used garments to the brand and receives a voucher or a discount to buy new products. Collected garments are refurbished and resold.
• Brand peer-to-peer (p2p) platforms: These are platforms where customers sell to each other within an environment controlled by the brand.
• Own second-hand marketplaces: The brand creates a specific section on its e-commerce site where it sells authenticated used products.
• Resale-as-a-Service: Some companies outsource the operation to specialised platforms that manage inventory, logistics and pricing.

Many brands use mixed systems that combine in-store collection, reverse logistics and online sales. Initiatives of this type already exist in companies such as Patagonia, Balenciaga or Valentino, which allow customers to return used garments in exchange for credit or sell pre-owned products through official programmes.

Source: ThredUp’s 13th Resale Report Shows Online Resale Saw Accelerated Growth in 2024, Expected to Reach $40 Billion by 2029 – March 2025

In all cases, the brand maintains control over the experience, product quality and the value narrative, which is key to protecting positioning and the perception of durability.

The Global Context of Resale

The growth of resale responds to a profound transformation in how consumers buy fashion. According to various industry reports, the global second-hand fashion market is growing 2 to 3 times faster than the new fashion market.

Forecasts suggest it could reach up to $367 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate of 10%, consolidating itself as one of the most dynamic segments of fashion retail.

The growth is explained by several factors:

• Greater price sensitivity in the consumer.
• Digital access to global marketplaces.
• Cultural changes regarding sustainability.
• Greater trust in authenticated second-hand products.
  

Younger generations play a key role in this phenomenon. Gen Z and Millennials consider second-hand a standard option within their wardrobe, motivated by price, sustainability and the possibility of finding unique pieces. Almost 40% of consumers from these generations made a second-hand purchase on a social network in the last 12 months.

Furthermore, resale is already a relevant part of shopping habits. In some consumer communities, second-hand items represent nearly 28% of wardrobe content. The result is an increasingly professionalised and competitive market.

Why Are Brands Betting on Resale Now?

The growing interest of brands in resale responds to several strategic motivations:

1. Capturing value within the secondary market

For decades, brands sold a garment and lost control over its subsequent journey. Resale occurred in informal markets or independent platforms.

Resale programmes allow for reclaiming part of the value generated in the secondary market, which in many cases is considerable.

2. Acquiring new customers

Industry reports show that many consumers discover a brand for the first time by buying a second-hand product. A significant portion of them end up buying new products later on.

Resale thus functions as an acquisition channel with a lower barrier to entry.

3. Controlling brand perception

Brands also seek to maintain certain control over the authenticity and quality of products circulating in the second-hand market. An official programme allows for item verification, setting standards and reinforcing the perception of durability.

4. Technological improvements facilitating the operation

One of the main historical obstacles to resale was its operational complexity: unique inventory, manual authentication or costly logistics.

New solutions based on AI, automation and dynamic pricing systems are reducing those costs and allowing resale to operate at a larger scale. This makes integrating second-hand within the retail business model viable.

5. Tariff instability pushing towards resale

With the increase in tariffs on textile imports, 54% of retail executives consider resale as a more stable and predictable source of inventory against tariff fluctuations, according to the ThredUp Resale Report 2025. Among consumers, 59% state that if new trade policies make new clothes more expensive, they will opt for second-hand.

How this Translates in Spain and Europe

Europe has become one of the most active markets for fashion resale. Second-hand platforms have gained great popularity in countries such as France, Germany or Spain, where digital trade in used products has grown rapidly in recent years.

The most eloquent indicator of the European moment is Vinted. The Lithuanian platform closed 2025 reaching €1 billion in revenue, 40% more than in 2024. In the first half of 2025, according to the Institut Français de la Mode barometer, Vinted led the fashion sales ranking in France by volume, ahead of Amazon, Kiabi, Shein and Zara.

Vinted and Oxfam also partnered for the second consecutive year to organise a second-hand fashion show at London Fashion Week. The garments presented came from Vinted and Oxfam shops and were styled by thrifting pioneer Bay Garnett. The garments from the show could be purchased through Oxfam’s account on Vinted after the event.

Source: Oxfam x Vinted Runway Show LFW SS26

The big brands have also made moves. Spanish company Inditex launched Zara Pre-Owned on 12 December 2023 simultaneously in 14 European markets, including Spain, after having first tested it in the UK and then in France. The platform allows Zara garments to be sold, repaired and donated directly from its website and app.

Furthermore, the European Union is pushing a series of regulations related to the circular economy. Regulations such as future Ecodesign requirements and extended producer responsibility policies are pressuring brands to better manage their products’ life cycles.

The Impact on Sustainability (Beyond Marketing)

Sustainability is one of the most visible arguments associated with resale, but its impact depends on how these programmes are implemented.

From an environmental point of view, extending the useful life of a garment reduces the need to produce new units. In a sector characterised by fast production cycles and high levels of waste, this extension of the life cycle can significantly reduce the environmental footprint.

Circular models also promote:

• Repair and refurbishment of garments
• Re-use of materials
• Reduction of textile waste volume

At the same time, some experts point out that resale alone does not solve the structural problems of the sector if clothing production continues to increase. The real impact depends on how brands integrate circularity into their business model: durable design, reverse logistics and product recovery systems.

Resale Becomes Consolidated as a New Business Lever

The launch of 17 new resale programmes in a single quarter reflects a clear trend in the fashion industry: second-hand is becoming part of the sector’s operating model. The growth of the market, changes in consumer behaviour and new technologies are creating the conditions for resale to consolidate as a stable commercial channel.

Brands participating in this market seek to capture value throughout the full product life cycle, strengthen relationships with their customers and adapt to a regulatory environment increasingly oriented towards the circular economy. Every garment that returns to the commercial circuit opens a new opportunity for sales, data and customer relationships.

In the coming years, resale programmes are likely to become a standard part of the strategy for many fashion companies. The concept of product ownership is evolving and the second-hand market occupies an increasingly relevant place in that transformation.

In a sector obsessed with launching new collections, the next growth opportunity could be in the garments that already exist.