New Years Resolution #4: Choose secondhand with Pardonmycloset
For our final New Year’s resolution, we spoke to Caroline from Pardonmycloset, the trendy secondhand clothes shop which lets you also sell your preloved items, to find out more about the concept and her take on the recycling economy:
Located in the heart of the Luxembourg City, Pardonmycloset’s current pop-up can be found on Rue Aldringen. Packed with hand-selected gems from boots to flowy dresses and golden accessories, you wouldn’t be able to tell that this is a secondhand shop from the look of it. Used to shopping secondhand since she was 14 years old, Caroline Poincelot brought her vision of stylish secondhand shops to Luxembourg shortly after moving here from Paris. “I found that people’s ideas of secondhand stores in Luxembourg were not good”, she says. “I thought that maybe I could change that and create something different in Luxembourg”. This modern take on charity shops has turned consignment stores into the new go-to clothing store for many.
According to experts, the fashion resale market is rapidly growing, with some forecasting it to reach a value of $80 billion by 2029. But it doesn’t stop there. The secondhand trend has trickled into the furniture, luxury brands and even book sectors making buying good-quality preloved items even easier than before.
ABOUT THE SECONDHAND MOVEMENT
Some trendy pieces being showcased at Pardonmycloset - Photography by Caroline Poincelot
Secondhand shopping means buying items previously owned by somebody else. There is a growing vocabulary associated with the movement. Some of the most common ones include: thrifting (shopping at flea markets, garage sales or thrift shops - commonly a more disordered form of secondhand shopping as items tend to be jumbled together. This form of shopping does however tend to be cheaper and unique finds are common), vintage (retro and antique items of high quality), and upcycling which is characterised as “taking something that’s considered waste and repurposing it,” according to the website Upcycle That. This rise in buying preloved items comes at a time where fast-fashion is dominating the fashion industry, which has been ranked as the 2nd most polluting industry after oil.
The effects of the fashion industry on the planet are endless. Here are just a few:
Fashion production makes up 10% of all carbon emissions globally - that’s more than maritime shipping and all flights combined.
Roughly 60% of all materials used in clothes are made of plastic.
Everytime clothes are washed, they release microplastics into the waterways. Laundry alone releases half a million tonnes of microplastics into the ocean every year.
The amount of water used by the fashion industry annually could meet the needs of 5 million people.
“People tend to have a misconception that secondhand shops are dirty. I wanted to change that. ”
Pardonmycloset’s recent popup location is chic and modern - Photography by Caroline Poincelot
According to Caroline, people tend to believe that secondhand clothes smell bad, are worn out and outdated. “Sometimes secondhand shops are compared to thrift or charity shops but that’s not really the truth,” she tells me. Pardonmycloset, among other secondhand shops, looks to select only the most fashionable pieces that are in great condition.
Though traditionally associated with lower social classes, secondhand shopping is now enjoyed by all people of all incomes and cultures. “It’s simply not true that secondhand clothes have to be solely for the less fortunate,” clarifies Caroline. Her store invites people of all backgrounds to shop more consciously as she stocks items from ranging from just €5.00 to more than €150.00.
TIPS ON BUYING SECOND HAND
1. Give every secondhand shop a chance
“My advice is to actually try all the secondhand shops you find regardless of how they might look as there’s always a possibility of finding a unique piece,” she reveals.
“You never know what you’ll find in secondhand shop so try them all”
2. Try clothes swaps or marketplace apps
Apps such as Vinted and Depop have been gaining momentum over the past few years. Depop, an app that lets you sell and buy (primarily fashion) items from others has over 30 million users and operates in over 150 countries. These apps let users clean out their closets as well as find pretty much every clothing piece imaginable at a lower price. Likewise clothes swaps or secondhand clothing sales provide shoppers with new, unique pieces. Going to a secondhand clothing sale and being able to see the person who’s selling the clothes themselves can help you become more comfortable with shopping secondhand, explains Caroline.
3. Check Facebook marketplace
A lot of Caroline’s furniture both in-store and in her office is also secondhand. Using Facebook marketplace, she found rare and unique pieces at discounted prices. Buying pre-owned furniture and upcycling it yourself with either a fresh new coat of paint or some new upholstering is one way to shop more consciously while adding a special item in your home.
4. Sell your own clothes first
Selling your own clothes first helps you understand the process and become part of the secondhand movement. “By selling your own clothes first, you begin to understand that buying secondhand is not dirty”. This is because you’re not likely to sell dirty clothes so likewise, neither are other people.
The current popup will be on 8 Rue Aldringen until August 2022 - Photography by Caroline Poincelot
BENEFITS OF BUYING SECONDHAND
“I think there are lots of benefits to shopping secondhand,” Caroline tells me.
1. It’s cheaper
Despite selling the newest styles, sometimes with the price still tag on, Pardonmycloset sells their clothes at a discounted price. “I started shopping secondhand when I was young and had no money,” says Caroline. From luxury brands such as Yves Saint Laurent to high-street brands such as Zara, Pardonmycloset has it all but at a fraction of the price.
2. It’s better for the planet
The reduction in carbon emissions, plastics and water usage that come hand-in-hand with shopping secondhand makes buying pre-worn items a no-brainer.
Seeing as it takes 2,700 litres of water to make a single t-shirt, the equivalent of enough drinking water for one person for 2.5 years, you’re better off trying to shop among the multitude of clothes that already exist.
3. There’s something for everyone
There’s something for everyone at Pardonmycloset - Photography by Caroline Poincelot
Unlike regular stores which routinely stick to one look to be remembered by, secondhand shops have a variety of styles to choose from. Caroline highlights that everybody wins regardless of their goals. “With secondhand shops, you can please the person trying to save money, the one wanting to be sustainable and the one looking to find fashionable picks,” she says. Even those who aren’t looking to shop secondhand now have the possibility to at least clean out their closets and sell their items. It’s a win-win situation!
ABOUT PARDONMYCLOSET
Originally from Paris, Caroline Poincelot arrived in Luxembourg in 2015. Used to having a wide selection of secondhand shops available, Caroline was shocked to find nothing of the sort in Luxembourg. “The few secondhand shops I found only sold luxury goods”, she explained. She decide to take the matters into her own hands by opening up Pardonmycloset, a secondhand shop filled with chic, high-street brands as well as a few discounted luxury items.
Not only can the Luxembourgish population now buy preloved pieces, they can sell them too. Once brought to the shop, the items sold are on commission: those depositing their clothes receive 50% of the selling price. If not sold, people have the opportunity to pick up their clothes after 3 months or they can be further donated by Pardonmycloset to charities.
Pardonmycloset will also have a dedicated clothing rack at the supermarket Monoprix Guillaume II between the 1st and 12th of February making buying secondhand even more accessible.
Pardonmycloset can be found in Luxembourg City:
Shop: 8 Rue Aldringen, 1118 Luxembourg
Monoprix clothing rack: 2 Pl. Guillaume II, 1648 Luxembourg
Online: pardonmycloset.com