Recently, a friend who homeschools her three kids and is usually too harassed for idle chit-chat, sent me a message. She excitedly informed me that she had started doing something out of character: renting outfits through a local clothing rental platform.
On the one hand, it was surprising as she had been living in a kid-friendly uniform of a T-shirt and shorts since her eldest child was born 11 years ago. Alternatively, renting dresses for events or simply for dining out made sense to this down-to-earth mum who had long zeroed in on her priorities and decided that unnecessary laundry did not belong on her to-do list. Inquisitive about her rekindled desire for dressing up, I drilled her about the whys and hows.
As she reflected, “This is the fun and luxury I need right now. My kids are old enough that I can now think about what’s fun to wear. Renting is fabulous, especially since I don’t have to buy, keep, wash, and iron the clothes.”
It made me think about my long-held resistance to buying or wearing second-hand items. Theoretically, buying pre-owned makes sense. Firstly, we must do our part to make the fashion industry more circular. By giving clothing and accessories a second, third and fourth life, we can prevent overproduction. Secondly, buying pre-owned makes sense on a practical level as, in many cases, the original buyer has already taken the hit from depreciation.
Despite knowing all this, I still go “hmm” when I think of buying or using anything second-hand. Some vintage fans like the weight of history accompanying the items they buy. I cringe at not knowing where they have been. I am sure my long-time acquaintance Nejla Matam-Finn of the luxury resale online platform The Fifth Collection would tell me that I need more education, with her hilarious dry humour.
Related: Opinion: A love-hate relationship with the colour purple
