Comment: Why France is leading the secondhand fashion boom

There is only one shop in town selling new clothes. It’s called Imagine!, which seems apposite, considering how few of my friends back in the UK can, in fact, imagine such a denuded high street.

But what it lacks in traditional fashion retailers it makes up for in friperies (secondhand clothes stores), charity shops, vide-dressings (jumble sales specifically for clothes), and a lovely local app called Toototoor (pronounced ‘Tout autour’), which was born in a nearby Nièvre village to promote social links via the exchange or gifting of services, transport and goods – including clothes. 

Supplementing my supply of pre-loved outfits is a Dutch mum at my son’s school – responsible for 95% of his wardrobe courtesy of her own (older) sons’ hand-me-downs – and my friend Sophie, who is slowly divesting herself of the sartorial trappings of her former life in Paris and giving me first refusal.

Why frugal living is cool

What is happening here is illustrative of a wider appetite in France for secondhand fashion. 

Sure, the country may have built a global reputation for couture and luxury brands, but its native consumers are slowly adding ‘frugal’ and ‘sustainable’ to the clothing vernacular.

A recent study by the Circular Fashion Federation showed France leading the resale apparel market in Europe. 

In 2024 it accounted for just over a quarter (26%) of Europe's secondhand fashion revenue – equivalent to €4.1billion. 

By 2030, that figure could jump to €6.3billion, with the country's projected annual growth rate standing at 7.4%. 

By contrast, the UK is forecast to see a 4% annual decline in secondhand fashion sales.

Clothing and footwear repair services are also on the rise in France, thanks partly to a government scheme launched in late 2023 offering financial aid to patch up outfits rather than condemn them to the dustbin.

Read more: Make sense of... French vide greniers

It is easy to guess at what’s driving the thrift trend. The cost of living crisis has seen most households tighten their proverbial belts, making a literal ceinture so much more desirable secondhand and cut-price. 

We should also credit the development of online platforms such as Vinted – France remained its largest market last year, followed by the UK, Germany, and Italy – and consumers getting a serious case of the ‘ick’ from news footage showing the devastating effects fast fashion is having on developing countries forced to deal with it once we’re done with the stuff.

A word of warning. While commendable for all the aforementioned economic and environmental reasons, buying ‘vintage’ in your local Croix Rouge is not a shoo-in for that elusive French chic. 

Wardrobe assassinations, especially on expats, continue unabated. I recently had the ignominy of a secondhand hot-pink lace shirt condemned very publicly, very loudly by an acquaintance as ‘trop Barbie’. 

Read more: Did you know? These items are banned at a French vide-grenier clear-out sale

One saving grace is that the financial outlay on fashion experimentation is so much smaller with les fripes than brand new garments. That chichi shirt cost me just €2.

My latest purchase? A loose-fit, green denim Levi’s jacket, supposedly 80s, possibly menswear, certainly too large, but a snip at €20. Trop Ken? Tant pis. At that price I couldn’t care less.