In 2020, online thrifting is easier—and more popular—than ever. According to a new report from ThredUp, a popular resale website, the online secondhand market is set to grow 69% between 2019 and 2021 while the broader clothing retail space is projected to shrink 15%. The resale industry as a whole is estimated to reach $36 billion by 2021. Another state of the union from resale platform Poshmark found that secondhand clothes now make up the largest percentage of Gen Z-ers’ closets by category, with Americans under the age of 23 reserving an average of 16.5% of their wardrobe space for thrifted pieces. Ready, set, shop—and remember that thrifting isn’t an excuse to buy a ton of things you don’t need. The rules of sustainable shopping still apply: Go in with a plan, invest in high-quality pieces, and don’t buy anything you don’t intend to love for its entire (second) life. Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.
