Patrice Duchemin, consumer sociologist: "The second hand is a pusher"
Author in 2018 of the book The power of imaginations, the sociologist Patrice Duchemin has been dissecting our purchasing behaviors and the strategies of major brands for years.According to him, the enthusiasm that the second -hand market arouses is primarily due to economic considerations and generates a new form of consumption.
Read also: the second hand, portrait of a new boiling economy
Time: you are taking an uncompromising look at the second -hand market.Why?
Patrice Duchemin: If I put myself on the side of the brands, the opportunity offered by vintage fashion is to revitalize the market, especially in the fashion industry.You have to understand that people buy less and less "clothes".This is particularly the case among young people who are more interested in the intangible, video games and series.The textile industry also conveys a bad image due to the ecological footprint and ethical issues, such as the exploitation of Uighurs workers.Consequently, traditional manufacturers are looking for a growth relay.The second hand therefore allows them to make additional turnover, but also to keep in touch with their customers.They will pay their resale by a voucher rather than money and encourage them to buy again.In fact, the second hand is a pusher!
However, the opposite is claimed by these platforms.They say they want to promote a circular economy.
Historically, people gave their old clothes to an association.Today, they put them on sale.This creates a "vintage business".While so far consumption meant destruction, it becomes today generating consumption!It may seem anecdotal, but it is fundamental: you buy and sell.This week, it's Black Friday, you can be sure that young people buy to store, not even knowing what they are going to do with the product.They say to themselves, "Maybe I will offer it for Christmas or put it, and at worst I will sell it.Besides that, in luxury, there is also a motivation which is that of the distinction, because it is very tendency to carry an object already worn.We must not forget the "good deal" side which remains very important, because the price is an activator of desire.No one can remain indifferent.
But what do you do with ecological motivation?
For me, she is transversal to all the motivations that I have just mentioned.But I'm not sure it's as strong as you think.So, the ecological aspect represents a basic prerequisite for brands and consumers, we must have a discourse on the subject, it is part of modernity, but it is not more than that.Of course, there is a militant movement, but it is marginal and outside these consumption circuits.
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