Second-hand fashion takes root in India as shoppers prioritise sustainability
A growing number of fashion-conscious shoppers are challenging the throwaway culture and embracing environmentally-friendly practices.
Customers browse second-hand clothes in a market in New Delhi, India. Photo: AFPIndia’s large garment sector produces billions of dollars worth of new clothes each year. However, some local fashion lovers are switching to second-hand to ease worries about the industry’s environmental impact.
It is a tiny drop in a massive ocean. Still, fashionable shoppers in New Delhi say their example is slowly changing the throwaway attitude of India’s middle class.
New Delhi is full of markets offering second-hand clothes. It is a thrifty alternative for those on low wages or those making an ethical choice.
The market is very small compared to the industrial production of new garments.
However, shoppers say it is more about the message it sends. They say that changing attitudes must start somewhere.