H&M to sell second-hand clothes at London store

LONDON — H&M plans to sell second-hand clothes and accessories at its flagship store in London from Oct 5, as pressure increases on fast fashion companies to curb their environmental impact by encouraging the reuse and recycling of garments.

With the European Union planning new regulation to crack down on textile waste in the bloc, H&M has said it is "part of the problem" and that the way fashion is produced and consumed needs to change.

The Pre-Loved womenswear collection, at H&M's Regent Street store, will include garments from several other brands and designers as well as H&M group brands, which include Arket, Cos, Monki, and Weekday.

It will be the second H&M store to offer second-hand clothes, after Barcelona which opened earlier this year. H&M also has an online second-hand offering in Sweden and Germany.

The autumn-winter 2023 collection of the second-hand offerings will include metallic dresses and shirts, trench coats, and "trendy knits", H&M said, with new items added every day.

The garments will be sourced from Flamingos Vintage Kilo, a company that runs second-hand vintage clothes stores in Europe and the US, and will be priced from £29.99 (S$51) to £189, H&M said.

H&M launched a clothing rental service at its Regent Street store in November last year.

Peer-to-peer resale of second-hand garments has become big business, with online platforms like thredUP, Vinted, and Depop multiplying and brands following suit by launching their own services.

Zara last week launched its online second-hand service in France, having trialled it in Britain since November last year.

ALSO READ: Coco Chanel's influential fashion on show at London exhibit