Inside Hong Kong’s growing thrifting culture: second-hand pop-ups by Redress and local online stores selling preloved Chanel and Dior show an increasing demand for sustainable fashion

Jun 15 , 2023

Demand for sustainable fashion is growing in Hong Kong, especially after Covid-19. Photo: Handout

Redress, an NGO in Hong Kong that champions sustainability through circular fashion, returns this June with its ‘Get Redressed #ShopSecondhand’ pop-up in Quarry Bay

Meanwhile, preloved luxury fashion platforms like Hula, Vestiaire Collective and Little Dot Vintage sell significantly discounted items from brands like Dior, Chanel and Gucci

Redress, an NGO championing sustainability through popularising circular fashion, is back this summer with its seasonal “Get Redressed #ShopSecondhand” pop-up in Hong Kong.

Open from June 17 to 22 at Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay, the second-hand pop-up’s continuity over the years, alongside similar initiatives of preloved items sales, point towards a growing thrifting culture in the city.

What’s on sale at the Redress pop-up in Hong Kong?

Get Redressed’s autumn second-hand pop-up shop in 2021. Photo: @getredressed/Instagram

Pop-up visitors can expect to see an assortment of donated, preloved clothing items from all over Hong Kong, with pieces ranging from luxury designer labels to more trendy and affordable, according to Redress’s event page. The clothing items up for resale are collected through the NGO’s Takeback Programme, donated by citizens looking to give used clothes a new wardrobe.

With something for everyone, the event is expected to be size- and gender-inclusive, while shoppers will be confident that they’re reducing their carbon footprint by buying preloved clothes that would otherwise end up in the city’s landfills.

What is Redress?

Christina Dean, CEO and founder of Redress, poses for a photograph at Shanghai Tang in Central, Hong Kong, in 2016. Photo: Dickson Lee

The NGO’s sustainable philosophy relies on the concept of circular fashion: where a piece of clothing item goes through a loop of reusing owners, never settling in just one wardrobe – and thus reducing fashion waste.

Redress’ frequent seasonal second-hand pop-ups, as well as its Takeback Programme, which facilitates the donation of preloved clothing at 26 collection points in the city, allow used clothing items to enter reuse loops in a cycle of circular fashion.

Running for over a decade now, the pop-ups indicate a demand for fashion sustainability in Hong Kong, where thrifting, also known as second-hand shopping, is currently on the rise.

The popular demand for fashion sustainability

Customers shopping for high-street fashion in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: Yik Yeung-man