- Second-hand clothes and the Lankan mindset
Every single one of us owns at least one piece of second-hand clothing – it may be something our parents or our grandparents gave us, our older siblings’ clothes, or a piece of clothing that has been in the family for generations (a christening gown, for example).
Nevertheless, each of our closets contains at least one piece of second-hand clothing, although we never consider it as such, and if we were made to refer to it as second-hand some of us may not quite appreciate the sentiment.
So what’s the deal with second-hand clothes – why do we dislike them so much? Brunch spoke to a small research team at the University of Moratuwa (UoM) for a bit more insight on why shopping second-hand is somewhat off-limits in Sri Lanka.
The team has been conducting research on the second-hand shopping landscape over the past year, and consists of Thamoda Geegamage, MSc. candidate from the University of Moratuwa Department of Textile and Apparel Engineering, together with her research supervisors, Department of Textile and Apparel Engineering Senior Lecturer Dr. Achini Ranaweera and Department of Civil Engineering Professor Rangika Halwathura.
Why the conversation on shopping second-hand?
Firstly, there’s the practical side to it. As everyone is aware, our economy is collapsing. Prices are soaring, and for many, incomes are dwindling, while basic needs – food, shelter, and clothing – still remain essential.
Second-hand clothing provides an affordable alternative. In some cases, like swapping clothes with people you know or hand-me-downs, it’s free. That said, the second-hand route isn’t always cheap, although just like with other products that are bought second-hand, you will most likely be paying less than if you were buying brand new.
The other side of the discussion is to do with the fashion industry and its impact on people, animals, and the environment. The impact of fashion on the environment is monumental – the global production of fashion and footwear generates 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and if we carry on with our current business-as-usual approach, the greenhouse gas emissions from the industry are expected to rise by almost 50% by 2030. Every human on earth is part of the fashion industry simply as a consumer.
Second-hand shopping helps the environment by reducing the demand for continuous new manufactures, which in turn reduces the impact of the fashion industry on the environment, not just in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, but across the board, from resources like water (10,000 litres of water are needed to make a single pair of jeans) to reducing pollution from industry waste (20% of industrial wastewater pollution comes from the fashion industry), to waste management (85% of all textiles go to the dump each year and the equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second).
“Wearing second-hand clothing means that you are also contributing to saving the environment. Making a single garment creates so much carbon emissions and other wasteful processes, so actually proudly wearing something that already exists rather than purchasing something new gives consumers the chance to contribute to protecting the environment and improving social well-being,” Geegamage shared, adding that her interest in sustainable fashion was what initially led her to think more deeply about second-hand shopping and the impact it could have.
Although consumers tend to embrace second-hand or thrift shopping in the Western world, locally there’s scant understanding of the concept and a distinct lack of motivation to buy second-hand, and this mindset was what Geegamage, with the support of Dr. Ranaweera and Prof. Halwathura, set out to explore.
A microcosm of the Sri Lankan mindset
Across a research study that saw 20 in-depth interviews and over 250 respondents, Geegamage, with Dr. Ranaweera and Prof. Halwathura’s guidance was able to paint a small picture of consumer mindsets related to second-hand shopping.
One factor that played a key role in perceptions was income levels: “People with high incomes responded that they openly talk about swapping clothes and buying second-hand with friends and family, and this is driven by the benefits that buying second-hand has, both environmentally and socially,” Geegamage noted.
“With middle-income families, however, buying second-hand was not something openly discussed, especially in public. Lower-income families are open about second-hand shopping because it is a part of their lives.”
Geegamage also noted that her secondary research had shown her that India and other countries close to Sri Lanka also showed similar trends when it came to discussions around second-hand shopping.
In terms of actual physical second-hand shopping culture, Geegamage shared that outside the intimate level of second-hand culture (people swapping or giving clothes to friends and family), second-hand culture within the country had seen quiet makeover and growth in recent years, with informal platforms popping up on social media, as well as formal brands that are embracing second-hand shopping and driving the growth of the culture at all levels of Sri Lankan society.
However, what is the key thing that needs to be overcome in the minds of consumers for second-hand culture to take a firmer mainstream footing? The mental stigma that surrounds not just buying second-hand, but also selling.
The most reported consumer concern in Geegamage’s research was the quality of products, followed by comfortability and the emotional consequences Sri Lankan consumers and social culture has built around second-hand shopping. These include lower levels of self-confidence, concerns, feeling cheap, insecure, and shy, and concerns about social status in buying second-hand.
All these factors come into play to discourage consumers from second-hand shopping as well as instil the idea that second-hand shopping is unhygienic (garments might smell, have stains and dirt patches, or torn-out stitches).
While these can be drawbacks of buying second-hand, Geegamage stressed that this was where sellers would also need to step up and not use second-hand shopping as a platform to get rid of damaged or poor quality clothes and also make an effort to present to potential consumers in a clean and almost-new manner.
Building second-hand shopping culture in Sri Lanka
Speaking on the bigger picture of developing a stronger second-hand shopping culture locally, Dr. Ranaweera and Prof. Halwathura both explained that the current crisis could serve as something of a turning point to inspire a more mindful and sustainable shift to how consumers shop.
“We’re seeing how the middle class and upper-middle classes are struggling, and even those with the capability don’t always feel like spending when they see society struggling, and this mindset can definitely be a turning point for the greater good.”
Dr. Ranaweera also shared that on a personal level, she was expecting her second child and had made the active decision not to buy anything new and to reuse the things she bought and received at the birth of her first child, sharing the view that this was a thought process that many people in similar situations were having.
However, the key to building a second-hand shopping culture locally is infrastructure, which Sri Lanka is lacking, according to Dr. Ranaweera. It is this lack of infrastructure that causes second-hand shopping to be seen as something unhygienic, cheap, or low-status. “I spent about five or six years in the US and Australia, and had no issues with buying second-hand in terms of availability. There were lots of second-hand shops with good quality products.
“There needs to be some involvement from current business practitioners as well as from the Government to create the kind of environment for second-hand shopping to become more feasible. Usually, in other countries, a lot of these second-hand shops are run by charities, with the proceeds used to fund the charity’s activities, and businesses of all kinds, from large-scale to small-scale to even entrepreneurs can help build this environment.”
Also key is proper processes that see a fair standard of operation among second-hand shopping businesses – things like washing and laundering clothes, quality-checking, and paying more attention to the consumer experience, to packaging and tags so that despite a consumer buying second-hand, they are still made to feel as if they are patronising a business with an identity.
Second-hand shopping in the Lankan context is certainly controversial, and at its heart are not only questions of quality, but also undertones of classism, of the need to be seen as a certain ‘type’ of customer. The economic, environmental, and social impacts certainly cannot be denied, and like with most things, there is a double standard that applies to the wealthy who shop second-hand versus the not-so-wealthy.
Every Sri Lankan owns something second-hand, but it’s just not talked about, and we also don’t see too many systems or markets that encourage it. Perhaps simply talking about it could be the first step to being more second-hand friendly?
