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Why Levi’s, H&M, and Even Luxury Brands Are Selling Second-Hand Clothes

The “recommerce” of old stock may be more shrewd than sustainable

In February, I went to Yorkville to try on a pair of pants at Arc’teryx, the Canadian outdoor apparel company whose shell jackets, fleece zip-ups, and toques are favoured equally by mountaineers and Jacob Elordi. But the pants I wanted were sold out nearly everywhere, including the store. Deflated but determined, I fired up the Gem app—a search engine that aggregates online listings for second-hand clothes. I could barely find a pair for less than $350, the same as the Canadian retail price, and several were set at nearly double. This suggests that resellers from the United States to Japan believe they’ve cornered a small but starving market for these pants. At least among my cohort of millennial men with shopping addictions.

But just as I was losing hope, I was given a lifeline. The sales associate told me to search for the pants on ReBird, the brand’s resale site where customers can buy refurbished and authenticated gear at a discount. The site offered refurbished pants ranging from roughly 25 to 50 percent less than the retail price. I signed up for email alerts when my desired size and colour become available. Nothing yet, but I remain optimistic.

Globally, second-hand fashion is growing twice as fast as the primary market thanks, in part, to inflation, eco-conscious consumption, the soaring cost of luxury goods, and the social media trend churn. There is an unquenchable thirst for new old stuff. In cities big and small, thrift stores appear to be sprouting up at nearly the same rate as vape shops. Online resale platforms, like Depop, Grailed, and Poshmark, contribute to a booming, multi-billion-dollar market. In 2025, 148 fashion brands were operating their own resale platform, up from just nine in 2020. Brands including Levi’s, H&M, Arc’teryx, Ralph Lauren, and Rolex, along with retailers like Simons and Selfridges, have piloted or launched “recommerce” (reverse commerce) initiatives, selling pre-owned clothes through their own stores.

The industry insiders and experts I spoke with say in-house resale programs are a win-win. Brands and retailers can contribute to a more circular economy while padding their bottom lines and overseeing quality and authenticity, which consumers value. Shoppers can find designer deals and dabble in different styles, potentially developing an appreciation for the longevity of materials and design.

It’s surely a shrewd, if overdue, move for brands and retailers to reap the profits of the secondary market while earning points for sustainability. But recommerce is just........

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