The Future of Vintage & Secondhand Fashion in 2025
predictions for a new era of sustainability, DIY, and resale
I’m Emily Stochl, a vintage & secondhand fashion reporter 🎤 and this is Pre-Loved, an indie media platform with its finger on the pulse!
My niche perspective blends style, sustainability, and cultural insight, providing you timely, trend-forward commentary, and insider knowledge on the shifting dynamics of resale.
2025 Vintage & Secondhand Fashion Predictions:
As the fashion world navigates shifting values and economic uncertainties, the booming vintage and secondhand scene must continue to evolve.
Never fear, vintage-lovers — I’m here! — putting my deep expertise in pre-loved fashion to work on these predictions.
Over the last seven years — interviewing 250+ vintage dealers, shoppers, and collectors — Pre-Loved has become a go-to voice on where vintage & secondhand fashion is headed. And, as we chart new terrain in 2025, I’ll be right here to tell secondhand’s stories.
From AI-driven trends to DIY craft, 2025 promises to redefine how we view sustainability, value, and style. Let’s take a look at what’s on the horizon…
Zendaya and Law Roach will work on an archival fashion book
Zendaya and Law Roach are the undisputed King and Queen of vintage archival fashion. At this point, Zendaya’s “best Red Carpet looks” have their own category on her IMDb page, and her modelling in campaigns like the Louis Vuitton x Murakami Re-Edition makes headlines.
In 2024, Law Roach published his first book, How to Build a Fashion Icon: Notes on Confidence from the World’s Only Image Architect, with Abrams Books, and I think their next collaborative project should be a book on archival fashion.
“We don't borrow from vintage dealers — we buy. It’s important to support smaller businesses,” Law Roach tells Vogue.
Consolidation of resale platforms
While the resale market is still growing, major platforms including Depop, ThredUp, Poshmark, and The RealReal are not consistently profitable, due in large part to:
tough competition against fast fashion (depressing the amount consumers will spend on secondhand clothing)
high operational and logistical expenses (all inventory is one-of-one!)
a crowded market with lots competing for attention
Over the last five years, we’ve seen continued consolidation of resale platforms (Vestiaire Collective bought Tradsey, Etsy bought Depop, etc.), and we’re due more.
For shoppers, more efficiency — as remaining platforms scale — could lead to better value. But for sellers, consolidation of platforms could lead to more cutthroat fees, policies and expectations in an attempt to attract customers…
AI will play an increasingly significant role
According to Vogue Business: “Fashion resale platforms have long suffered the dueling challenges of efficiency and scale in both buying and selling secondhand products. A suite of new tech tools, many using AI, promise to make that easier.”
Most AI-innovation in resale is (so far) centered on search and discovery — helping shoppers find what they’re looking for more easily. Platforms like ThredUP, Beni, and
(co-founded by Gates and ) use AI to serve improved results.But AI is also playing an increasing role in textile sorting and product identification. Two of the promising shortlisted winners of this year’s eBay and Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Circular Fashion Fund utilize AI:
🧵 Refiberd: AI-based textile waste sorting to validate the material content of textile feedstock, enabling textile brands and manufacturers improve supply chain fiber transparency, and facilitate item authentication.
🔎 In The Loop: Using AI to help sellers generate accurate and detailed resale listings with just a picture of the garment, cutting item processing time by over 80%.
A boom in homemade, DIY, and vintage maximalism
In periods of economic uncertainty and bubbling political resistance, fashion usually sees a rise in craft culture — consider the 1970s DIY boom, the 2016 enamel pin craze, or the 2008 emergence of Etsy.
This, combined with the steady penchant for customization (patches, charms, and other personalization), will deliver us a new era of homemade maximalism in 2025.
According to Pinterest Predicts 2025, we’re already seeing a +260% increase in searches for “Vintage maximalism,” which is primed to continue.
Sustainability-based values are down-trending
Across consumer indicator surveys, secondhand shoppers consistently rank their reason for choosing secondhand roughly this way:
Value for money
Quality of finds
Uniqueness of selection
Convenience
Sustainability
Ten years of evidence shows “conscious consumerism” messaging does not (alone) move the needle. Therefore, in 2025, Vintage sellers and sustainable fashion marketers alike must focus more on the 'value for money' proposition to attract customers.
For inspiration: see the Vestiaire Collective cost-per-wear campaign.
25 Years of Vogue Runway
Vogue Runway (officially launched in September, 2000 as Style.com) is “fashion’s most complete 21st century archive.” I would love to see this archive’s 25th anniversary celebrated at NYFW in September.
Perhaps as a pop-up or presentation, highlighting some of the most iconic fashion moments the site has covered over the last 25 years. I loved this tribute on the Vogue site, and think NYFW could bring some of these historic fashion moments back to life in a special way.
A Rapid Fire Celebrity Round
Lady Gaga will wear vintage McQueen while headlining Coachella
Even more Glinda-inspired vintage from Ariana Grande on the Wicked II press tour — and I feel like her stylist, Mimi Cuttrell, will source some of it from Depop. The Depop-seller’s surprise will make headlines, like this!
Will this finally be the year Rihanna wears an archival look to the Met Gala?
Sabrina Carpenter will wear vintage to the Grammys, where she has six nominations. There will be multiple outfit changes.
Amelia Dimoldenberg will make her SNL debut wearing vintage.
Decluttering & Textile Waste
Emma Chamberlain’s most recent (viral!) YouTube video shows her decluttering her entire closet to start fresh with a minimal capsule wardrobe. Here at Pre-Loved, we’re all for escaping the trend cycle and building a capsule wardrobe, but with a caution.
Gen-Z, please don’t fall into the 2010s Marie Kondo minimalism trap that we millennials did! Decluttering only works if you keenly know why you’re doing it, and you’re clear-eyed about how this “curation” will help you get to your vision of personal style.
What’s more, we must consider what happens to the clothes we choose to pass-on when we declutter. The secondhand fashion industry faces a growing need to address its un-resaleable waste (for example, clothes that need repair, or are too cheaply-made to be resold).
Earlier this month, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released the first-ever federal report on the growing textile waste issue, claiming multiple federal agencies should collaborate on united textile reduction and recycling efforts.
The GOA report reveals a 50% increase in textile waste between 2000 and 2018, driven largely by fast fashion and insufficient recycling infrastructure.
“To tackle these issues, the GAO recommended aligning federal agencies to create a unified strategy, increasing funding and incentives for circular solutions, and fostering private-sector collaboration,” writes Sourcing Journal
However, the Biden administration, through the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), rejected the idea of creating a formal interagency group, saying it was “not a priority.”
It goes without saying, it’s not likely to become a priority under a Trump Presidency, either. Frightening to think about four more years of federal-inaction on this growing crisis.
Indie everything is booming!
From the rise in indie media (ie: Substacks) to the 2010s indie sleaze revival, we’re seeing indie everywhere.
As the RealReal Resale Report describes, “trends are emerging from the ground up through things like TikTok, television shows, and everyday street style.”
Therefore, it doesn’t matter if your vintage is label-less — in fact, that authenticity and originality adds to its appeal! Vintage sellers should speak to potential customers’ desire for uniqueness when showcasing offerings.
A New Kind of Bohemian Style
From Chemena Kamali’s Chloé to Isabel Marant, Bohemian style graced the runways this fashion season, sparking many a headline on how to get an “updated” version of the much-loved look.
How am I hoping bohemian style will play out in 2025? With vintage, vintage, vintage — and a little wear and tear. Sort of like
of Haute Garbage, pictures “Moth-Eaten Maximalism” — a look that is opulent, but: “mustier, more whimsical, and 70s-leaning.” She calls it, “an eccentric, decaying glamor.”Key pieces (and secondhand search terms) include:
Bags that wear well, like the Chloe Paddington
Equestrian details
TEXTURE! Suede, crochet, shag, lace, fringe, and shearling
Leopard print and ponyhair
Pussybow blouses and dresses, juxtaposed with tougher moto-style pieces
Flared and bootcut jeans
Fur coats and textured robes
Bags with embroidery, tassels and beading
Scarves and layered jewelry
Over the top accessories: hats, gloves, statement glasses
Remember: a little wear on secondhand pieces adds to their charm!
What to expect from Pre-Loved in 2025:
Unlike mainstream fashion media, my focus is on the growing movement of vintage & secondhand fashion. For the last seven years, my reporting has connected the dots between fashion history, current trends, and the future of sustainability, giving you a unique lens into fashion and personal style.
In 2025, subscribers will receive:
3x weekly letters from Pre-Loved Podcast host + top vintage & secondhand fashion journalist, Emily Stochl
Weekly vintage & secondhand fashion commentary & news reporting
Access to a community of vintage-lovers who see the value in what’s worn and passed down
Bonus Pre-Loved Podcast episodes! 🎧
and secondhand shopping links and recommendations (so useful!). I’ll help you make informed purchases and navigate the complexities of vintage and secondhand markets.
Pre-Loved is an indie-media platform. This means I’m not tied to corporate fashion’s interests, and my content is authentic, unbiased, and relentlessly original. Please subscribe to support a fresh, exciting take on the world of vintage and secondhand fashion!
Thank you for reading! You can find me across the internet as @emilymstochl on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! 💛 - Emily