Gentrification is the process whereby a poor area is changed by wealthier people moving in. A gentrified, ‘posh’ town can be recognised by a high street flooded with ‘instagrammable’ cafes, vintage boutiques and charity shops. Whereas a typical, working-class area may be identified by a high street full of betting shops and takeaways. But which areas need charity shops more?
Buying second-hand clothes from charity shops has become both normalised and very trendy within Gen-Z. It’s undeniably more impressive than buying clothes from a high-street shop. Gen-Z has placed lots of emphasis on sustainability in our everyday lives, to reverse the damage done to the planet by previous generations. We have been forced to make amendments - from eating less meat, to using bamboo toothbrushes and metal straws. A popular way of being sustainable is rejecting fast fashion and buying more second-hand clothes.
With Channel 4’s recent exposure of budget-friendly, online clothing store Shein – paying workers just three pence per item made - there becomes limited choices of clothing outlets serving people with lower incomes in the UK. The documentary also highlights the terrible working conditions of employees, meaning charity shops are one of the last hopes for these people to shop both ethically and cheaply.
A huge contribution to the second-hand clothing ‘trend’ is the acceleration of Depop – the biggest online retail app for second-hand clothing, which states they are ‘the community-powered fashion ecosystem that’s kinder on the planet and kinder to the people.’ The sheer popularity of this app is the most significant factor in the gentrification of charity and vintage shops. Just take one look on the app and you will see multiple ‘vintage’ clothing brands selling secondhand clothes, typically at extortionate prices.
The catch is, more so than not, these clothes tend to be bought from local charity shops with the intent to resell. This business strategy is tempting as the potential turnover is huge. Some may say that this entrepreneurial approach is beneficial to society because the money goes to charity, and we all must make money somehow. This is a valid point, as primarily there is nothing wrong with wealthier people buying bits‘n’bobs from charity and vintage shops. After all, we all love a bargain!
The real problem lies with wealthier people taking significant amounts of the not-so-wealthy's resources. Whilst they may be oblivious to the detrimental societal damage this causes, leading to prices escalating and resources becoming significantly limited, poorer people struggle more.