How do my peers feel about second-hand clothing?

Armstrongs, Edinburgh

http://www.armstrongsvintage.co.uk/home.html

https://www.facebook.com/armstrongsvintageclothing

I realised that my CCS work so far hasn’t been particularly discursive (not so good for a “discursive blog”) so I decided to make a very short survey to send out to friends and classmates and find out what their opinions are on spending money on charity shops and eBay, vintage clothes, high street stores and handmade pieces. I’ll hopefully be sending it out to a broader range of people as most of these responses come from fellow art school students, more female than male, but for now this is a summary of the results:

How do you feel about buying second-hand clothes from charity shops/eBay?

“Absolutely no problem buying second-hand clothes - love finding a bargain! Tend to shop more on eBay because of convenience but only buy brands I know which size I am.”

“I enjoy buying clothes from charity shops. They are usually better quality and at a more affordable price. By this I mean real wool, leather etc. I have never bought clothes from eBay. You have to see and feel and item of clothing in person to know its quality and realise its appeal.”

“I love to go onto eBay and see what bargains I can get, the thrill of bidding on something is quite appealing too. I have bought a good few things second hand on eBay and I find it much better than going into shops. Not being able to see the clothes is obviously not ideal, but I still for some reason find it better going on eBay than going into a charity shops, where I can actually see the clothes. I rarely go into charity shops for clothes, unless the displays look modern.”

The response here was largely in favour of buying cheap second hand clothing, nobody really mentioned any issues with wearing other people’s old potentially damaged “leftovers” which I had expected. There’s a fairly equal mixture of people preferring charity shops because you get to see the garment before paying for it, and people preferring eBay because it’s just easier and quicker.

Is this different to how you feel about buying “vintage” clothes from proper vintage stores?

“Prefer vintage shops, but can't beat the other two [charity shops/eBay] on price. And good for finding vintage look alike stuff.”

“Vintage shops come with their own more accepted/on trend aura, but are often overpriced!”

“Charity shops are often cheaper and all vintage clothing for me is the same wherever you buy it.”

“I think there is more of a chance I would find something I value more in a vintage shop. The clothes seem to come with their own story. Charity shops seem to me like they wouldn’t have many old things in them, just almost new throwaway fashion type clothes.”

Feelings about vintage clothes are more mixed, some people think they would place more value on vintage and some are not convinced that it’s any different from other second hand clothing. Generally everyone agrees on vintage clothes being more expensive, which adds to the value but also could potentially put customers off when there are cheaper options available in charity shops.

Do you tend to buy cheap from high street stores or spend a little more on something with more “value”?

“Having spent my student years buying a lot, cheap, I now prefer to invest in good pieces that will last and hold their shape better.”

“A mixture of the two, but I would rather spend £80-£100 on something and really love it and know its super good quality than buy two or three cheapish things from high street.”

“I do a bit of both! Just because there may be something basic I need or shoes that don't fit me in charity stores that I can find in high street places.”

“I have two favourite shops - one that is known for quality and one that is known for its throw away fashions. I often juggle my spending between the two.”

Everyone here said that they tend to cross between spending more on quality and less on fast fashion, nobody was exclusively either one or the other. Reasons for cheap high street buying included a student budget that didn’t allow for more expensive clothes, and buying things like shoes and underwear that aren’t easy to find (or particularly appealing to buy) second hand.

Have you ever bought handmade clothes or accessories? If so, what was the appeal?

“I HATE high street shops’ jewellery.”

“I'd be more inclined to buy accessories than clothes. I don't think you can beat the uniqueness of handmade, especially for a really special present or treat!”

“The good thing about handmade is that they tend to be unique and are often more durable.”

“I think I've only bought handmade jewellery or bags.”

“I generally always buy handmade accessories. Scarves, jewellery and winter hats I have feel have a bespoke quality if made by hand. Something that I tend to treasure longer than a high street piece. I think the most appealing aspect to handmade clothing is that it sparks sentiment.”

“I have bought some accessories in the past and had some clothes made for me. It’s quite a personal experience with the designer of them. One off pieces are definitely more valuable as you’re not wearing what anyone else is … I have a silver bracelet which includes gold from one my great-grandfathers medals. It was handmade for my 21st birthday and it is definitely one of my most treasured possessions for the fact that it’s personal, unique and handmade.”

“I have never bought hand made clothes or accessories.”

This was the most interesting result for me (and also incredibly encouraging) – only one person said they had never purchased handmade fashion. Everyone else was very enthusiastic about it, especially accessories, more often than not because handmade pieces are unique and better made, and also sometimes sentimental.

While varied, all the results were definitely leaning more in favour of buying ethically when it comes to fashion and accessories. This could be down to the participants largely consisting of students who exist in an art school where these things are often brought up – perhaps they would be very different if I asked people of different ages and different backgrounds? I’m going to send this out to a few different people to broaden my research.

What this means for my practise: Considering my work is all handmade and uses mostly upcycled/repurposed materials, these results are very encouraging. They also help point me towards my target market.

(Thanks to Kirsty Macmillan, Libby Walden, Caitlyn Main, Craig Lee, Didi Jellema, Fiona Stewart, Carmel Wilkinson-Ayre, Madeleine Edwards, Amy Dobbie and Sean Wilson for taking part!)