第1684期:Second-hand clothes and reducing your fashion footprint

The destructive impact of fast fashion on the environment is widely documented. So how can we, as consumers, reduce our fashion footprint? One obvious answer is to buy less. Another is to buy clothes that have been more sustainably made, using organic and recycled materials. Hiring clothes is another way to get new pieces for our wardrobe. But buying second-hand may be the simplest solution and a trend that is growing fast.

快时尚对环境的破坏性影响已被广泛记录。那么，作为消费者，我们如何才能减少我们的时尚足迹呢？一个明显的答案是少买。另一种方法是购买使用有机和回收材料制成的更具可持续性的衣服。租衣服是为我们的衣橱添置新衣服的另一种方式。但购买二手可能是最简单的解决方案，也是一种正在快速增长的趋势。

According to the Boston Consulting Group, second-hand clothes are projected to make up 27 per cent of customers’ wardrobes by 2023. By 2030, the second-hand clothing market is projected to be twice the size of fast fashion, according to a global report by Thredup and GlobalData. So, it seems, the next ten years will see the resale market grow fast, and this is in part because we now have more options than simply buying from charity shops and jumble sales. Online sites are making it easier to both buy and sell pre-loved items.

根据波士顿咨询集团的数据，到 2023 年，二手衣服预计将占顾客衣橱的 27%。根据全球数据，到 2030 年，二手服装市场预计将是快时尚市场规模的两倍Thredup 和 GlobalData 的报告。因此，看起来，未来十年转售市场将快速增长，这部分是因为我们现在有更多选择，而不仅仅是从慈善商店和杂货店购买。在线网站让购买和销售二手商品变得更加容易。

It also helps that the perception of pre-loved clothing has changed. Dr Amna Khan, senior lecturer in consumer behaviours and retail at Manchester Metropolitan University, said ‘it’s now become trendy to wear second-hand’ and it’s no longer ‘a case of only buying it if you can’t afford anything else’. The changing values of shoppers is even being seen in celebrity culture, with television personalities, such as contestants on the popular UK TV show Love Island, promoting second-hand clothing.

这也有助于改变人们对旧衣服的看法。曼彻斯特城市大学消费者行为和零售高级讲师 Amna Khan 博士说，“现在穿二手衣服已经成为一种时尚”，不再是“只有买不起其他东西才买的情况”。购物者价值观的变化甚至体现在名人文化中，英国热门电视节目《爱情岛》的参赛者等电视名人都在推销二手服装。

Not everyone is convinced that these changes in shopping habits will do enough to reduce our fashion footprint. The charity Wrap tells people to repair and revamp clothes they already have in their wardrobe before buying new ones, even if they are second-hand. But it’s clear that some consumers now want to consume less and make more environmentally friendly choices when they do buy. The fashion industry is therefore having to change, and the second-hand market is the star of the show.

并非所有人都相信这些购物习惯的改变足以减少我们的时尚足迹。慈善组织 Wrap 告诉人们在购买新衣服之前先修理和翻新衣橱里已有的衣服，即使是二手衣服也是如此。但很明显，一些消费者现在希望在购买时减少消费并做出更环保的选择。时装业因此不得不改变，而二手市场是这场秀的主角。

词汇表

destructive impact on 破坏性的影响
consumer 消费者
fashion footprint 时尚碳足迹
sustainably 可持续地
hire (an item) 租用，租借
wardrobe 衣柜，衣橱
trend 趋势
project (v) 预计
fast fashion 快速时尚
resale market 二手市场
charity shop 慈善商店
jumble sale 旧货义卖
pre-loved item 二手物品
retail 零售
trendy 时髦的
value (n) 观念
celebrity culture 名人文化
repair 修补
revamp 修改，翻新