Reselling is being embraced by fashion companies with an environmental conscience. Buyback programmes could soon be a standard part of customer service, comparable to product warranties and repairs.

Balenciaga said last fall that it will be working with software company Reflaunt to foray into the used market. Customers can find buyers for pre-owned things in excellent condition through the French luxury fashion house’s resell programme, which is now available in a few locations across the world, including the United States, France, and Singapore.

Sellers can choose between payment by bank transfer or brand voucher, and the site handles photography, pricing, and delivery.

Balenciaga is entering the resale market for the first time, although other fashion houses including Mara Hoffman, Lululemon, and COS have all launched buyback and resale programmes in the United States and other countries. Even the titans of quick fashion Shein and PrettyLittleThing have dabbled in reselling.

Outdoor apparel companies Arc’teryx and The North Face have long sponsored circularity projects in Canada, and independent, environmentally conscious clothing businesses like Birds of North America and Hoi Bo have recently introduced comparable resale initiatives.

Customers may buy, sell, and shop for used goods from any brand on a website that H&M Canada created in 2021. Additionally, Toronto-based companies Alder Apparel and Nobis both introduced resale programmes for clients last year.

The market for used clothing is anticipated to develop three times faster than the whole global apparel market in 2021, according to ThredUp’s most recent Resale Report, which found that buyers bought roughly one billion used clothes rather than new ones.

Customers are drawn to used goods for both environmental and financial reasons. According to the same ThredUp study, 45 per cent of millennials and gen-Zers believe they are more likely to shop at a store that sells both new and used clothing.