What do we do with the clothes we no longer wear, but love very much? A Zurich study shows that nearly 70% of Swiss give away or resell their clothes. Even for luxury products, which are snapped up in second-hand shops. Reportage.
The Swiss buy nearly 20 kilos of clothes per year and per person. If this consumption does not decrease, a study recently carried out by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and the online market Ricardo reveals the uses concerning the clothes that we no longer want to wear.
Source: Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
The study conducted on a sample of 1,505 participants shows that the vast majority of clothes that we no longer use are donated to charities or resold (77.6%). About 7% of the clothes we no longer wear end up in the trash.
The luxury of the second hand
A habit that can explain the rise of thrift stores, especially luxury ones. Like the Le Dressing boutique in Lausanne, which buys and resells the most beautiful pieces from fashionistas in the Lake Geneva region.
The director, Sébastien Garsault, has just received an almost new Chanel bag. “It’s a client who has just left us an exceptional delivery. I think the bag will sell for around 4,500 francs,” he explains. A buyer enters the store. It’s heartbreak. She leaves immediately with the Chanel under her arm.
“We really have something for all budgets and all prices. At home, we will rub shoulders with as many Gucci as Max Mara, Erno or Burberry. My clients come to have fun, we give them a nice shopping experience They have a great time and leave with a heart full of memories.”
Like this regular, whose passage cost him several thousand francs. “What I like here is the rarity of the pieces. We really have access to accessories that are very sought after,” she explains.
Mode durable
Seeking, finding and buying the Holy Grail is the priority of second-hand shop customers, according to Alexandre Lanz, assistant editor at Fémina. But he also sees a deeper issue. “The phenomenon around the second hand is located at the meeting of several factors. First of all the search for the vintage collector’s item, but also a change of consciousness around sustainability. It concerns both the circles that make fashion and the people who use it.”
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An idea shared by Jennifer Russel, a fashion designer who frequently organizes wardrobe sales. “It’s important to be able to give clothes a second life and to be able to receive customers or friends who will make the garment their own, personalizing it in their own way. Throwing away a garment today is like throwing away a part of his personality,” she concludes.
>> To go further, listen to the Point J podcast: Podcast – Can we dress without polluting?
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TV subject: Gilles de Diesbach