‘The rise of websites and marketplaces dedicated to this sector means that accessibility and breadth of products is increased. ‘It’s really positive to see the growth in the secondhand childrenswear market, as we all know how quickly children outgrow their clothes - clothes which are usually still in perfectly wearable condition,’ explains Charlotte Turner, Head of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles at Eco-Age. On eBay, a virtual seller called ‘Thingimijigs’ is earning millions selling second-hand children’s clothes and shoes. On Facebook, there has been a huge increase in the number of community groups set up by parents to buy and sell clothes, such as Preloved Buy & Sell which has over 41,000 users, and JoJo Maman Bébé New, which is dedicated to selling only pieces from the typically-expensive designer baby brand. ‘Extending the life of a child’s t-shirt by just nine months will significantly reduce its carbon and water footprints too: to make one kilo of cotton - the equivalent of a pair of jeans – manufacturers use 10,000-20,000 litres of water and produce 23.2 kilos of CO2 emissions.’ Jane Fellner, who founded Loopster after feeling uncomfortable about discarding her own sons’ clothes, explains, ‘Buying nearly-new clothing and giving your child’s clothes a second life helps save the planet whilst saving you money.’ Items range from a Stella McCartney girls’ dress for £19.50 (its typical retail price would be upwards of £80), to a £10 boys’ JoJo Maman Bébé jacket. Loopster hand-checks every donated item to ensure it’s good quality and sells it on to other parents at a fraction of the high street prices. It’s nice to know I’m using less resources this way.’ I’d much rather buy second-hand, and then pass them on when I’m done with them, and the environmental aspect is definitely a factor for me. ‘It doesn’t make sense when my kids are still young - Harley is three and Margot is four months’ old - so they’ll only wear them for six months to a year. ‘But there are always things I need quickly, like jumpers or dresses for my little ones and I wouldn’t want to buy them new from somewhere like John Lewis or Boden. ‘Being a slightly older mum, I’ve been inundated with second-hand kids’ clothes from friends,’ she says. Boyd’s favourite is .uk.įor her, it’s the obvious option. The television presenter Laura Jackson recently bought her daughter a new dress on eBay - a site she readily admits to loving - and a number of new shopping websites have recently launched, designed specifically for this purpose. While vintage and charity shop clothing has become increasingly mainstream in adult fashion, it’s now happening in the children’s market too. It makes the West London make-up artist one of a growing number of fashion-loving mums who are buying their children’s clothing second-hand. But instead, she’s buying them second-hand online, and spending an average of £30 a month on six pieces. If Boyd was buying all of these clothes brand-new, she’d be spending hundreds each month - as well as contributing to the environmental damage caused by fast fashion. I tend to buy a lot from brands like Boden and Next, as well as more unusual ones like Beetlejuice.’ ‘I’m a total sucker for denim jackets and little girls’ dresses. ‘I buy around five or six items of kids’ clothing a month,’ says Leila Boyd, a 49-year-old mother of two.
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