Second-hand bargain-hunting is thriving as Americans browse thrift stores and resale sites for sustainable fashion and rare finds. But are they willing to splash out on pre-loved luxury? Canvas8 spoke to 20 people nationwide to understand why they would or wouldn’t buy high-end hand-me-downs.

Preloved luxury handbags are being traded in exchange for credit on FarFetch’s new platform, Second Life. With attitudes to luxury goods shifting towards sustainability, there are opportunities to challenge the luxury mentality of newness, while also addressing the issue of high return rates.

P2P resale platforms such as Depop have boomed in recent years, but do brands have anything to fear from these digital communities? Canvas8 spoke to Dr. Catherine Armstrong Soule, an assistant professor Western Washington University, to discover how social selling impacts brand perceptions and loyalty.

As fast fashion begins to fall out of favour due to mounting ethical and environmental concerns, the market for second-hand clothing is surging. But how exactly can buying pre-loved apparel help people live more sustainably? And what other factors are fuelling the resale segment?