Darlings, have you been wondering whether you should get on Vinted? Check out my 3 reasons why I think you should! Trust me: it feels amazing!
Confession: I’m not the kind of person you will easily drag to a flea market, a thrift store, or a garage sale. I fully support circular concepts, but possibly without having to elbow my way through crowds of people for a chance at flicking through cardboard boxes or shaky clothing racks.
But when a couple of months ago one of my clients showed me some fabulous wardrobe treasures bought for 10 or 15€ on Vinted, I was intrigued. Painfully aware of the devastating impact of fashion on our planet, I wanted to find out for myself if Vinted could be part of the solution.
So, I went for it.
No, actually, how that usually goes in my family is like this: I mention Vinted once at dinner and while I'm still chewing on the idea, my 12-year old son is already selling his Nike sneakers to buy a RIPNDIP hoodie with the profits:)
But ok, at my Generation-X-pace, I then also went for it. After my usual wardrobe change of season, I listed 130 items on my newly-created Vinted wardrobe, and joined the rapidly growing community of over 37 million users. Have a look at my IG reel or click on the pictures to visit my wardrobe!
My verdict? Darlings, talk about a change of heart! I didn’t just warm up to the concept; I BECAME the concept. In just a few weeks, I’ve turned into a passionate ‘Vintee’ on a mission to make second-hand first choice. Trust me, it feels amazing, and I’ll tell you exactly why.
But first, let’s rewind a second and start from the very beginning. What is Vinted?
Don’t wear it? Sell it! That is the simple concept that made Vinted by far the largest and fastest-growing online marketplace in Europe for second-hand – a.k.a. ‘pre-loved’ or ‘gently-used’ – fashion. Contrary to what the name suggests, Vinted’s focus is not so much on vintage items, but on anything in your wardrobe: clothes, bags, shoes, jewellery, and accessories.
Hold on. You’re wondering what’s so special about that, aren’t you? Second-hand initiatives have been around for as long as we’ve put clothes on our backs. And we’ve all heard of eBay, 2ememain.be, and Facebook Marketplace (just to name a few), so there is nothing novel about online concepts neither.
But Vinted is different. This Lithuanian company has managed to turn the outdated second-hand concept into a booming, billion-dollar business thanks to three magic ingredients: a brilliantly simple app, no seller fees, and seriously good timing (right in the middle of lockdown, when everyone was cleaning out wardrobes and piling up clothes to sell, Vinted took over ‘United Wardrobe’, their strongest market competitor in the Netherlands).
Easy, cheap and big, Vinted became the app of the year. Suddenly, it was the epitome of cool to be on the Vinted-wave. When at first the app was mostly popular for high-street women’s and children’s fashion, it quickly became the go-to reference for all other market segments too. Whether you’re looking for women’s, men’s or kids’ apparel; sportswear or cocktail dresses; size 32 or 48, Chanel, Zara, or Ba&sh; Vinted is the place to be!
But perhaps that is only part of the story.
I believe that what drives millions of us to this platform is something bigger. Something bigger than immediate convenience, rational gains, or passing trends. What really motivates us is emotion. Second-hand fashion is making a major come-back because of how it makes us feel.
And what I’ve experienced in the short time I’ve been on Vinted, is this:
1. IT FEELS LIGHT
It’s funny. We all seem to desire a life that feels light. We wish for things to be simple.
Yet at the same time, most of us (I for one…) buy and accumulate much more clothes than we could ever wear. We hold onto clothes that no longer fit ‘in case we lose weight’, that are hopelessly out of fashion ‘in case it comes back’, or that simply look worn out ‘in case we get into gardening or painting’. The result: every morning we open our wardrobe to be instantly overwhelmed with a sense of despair. So many choices to make even before we’ve had our first coffee!!!
It reminds me of something Alain the Botton described in his book ‘The School of Life’ (huge must-read!) about the inevitable tragedy of human nature. We tend to desire things that are in tragic conflict: security and freedom, intimacy and newness, a high-level career and a carefree mind. In the same order, we want to own a lot of stuff and feel light at the same time, even though one excludes the other.
But then there was Vinted and suddenly life became a lot less tragic. This circular concept reconciles ownership and lightness in the shape of what I like to call ‘light ownership’: you buy something new (preferably pre-loved), indulge in the joy of its novelty, wear it a couple of times, and sell it to someone else who will do the same.
Result: your wardrobe feels light, clutter-free and organized, but never empty, boring, or uninspiring. You can still explore, discover and evolve, but without the heaviness of bulging wardrobes. Light ownership is creative thinking at its best. That too is human nature:)
2. IT FEELS RIGHT
The simple fact of the matter is that the fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, just after the oil industry. Our fashion consumption causes greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, rainforest destruction, freshwater and ocean contamination, excessive water consumption, textile waste in landfills, and heavy use of chemicals (non-exhaustive list).
Something’s got to change, and we all know it. That is why as Style Coach and Personal Shopper, I am always looking for better ways of doing things: buying less, buying better, buying local, buying natural, buying sustainable, and recycling.
But by far the most convincing answer, to my mind, is: RE-USING!
In comes Vinted again.
Imagine the following scenario (true story!): I bought these two items 2 years ago, a dress from Sézane at 140€, and a blazer from Esprit at 60€:
Sézane, by the way, is my all-time favourite brand, and happens to be seriously committed to the planet too (and trust me, I can tell the difference between marketing and an actual commitment).
Anyway, I’ve happily worn both garments several times, but it was time to let them go, so I listed them on Vinted for 90€ and 30€ respectively (fun fact: Sézane garments being limited edition, they keep better value). Selling time: 3 days!
Do you see the magic of it? Basically, I’ve ‘rented’ and enjoyed these garments for 2 years at a tiny cost, and several other women will do the same after me. By giving every garment several ‘lives’, we maximize their use and minimize their environmental impact. Everybody wins in this scenario, including the planet. This is guilt-free indulgence, ladies. It’s a game-changer!
Of course, circular concepts are only as ecological as we make them. If we keep up our consumption pattern from before, and just add a touch of Vinted on top, then we’re really just adding insult to injury. Circular needs to replace some of our previous first-hand consumption, not add to it. Bottom-line: If we sell on Vinted, we’ve got to buy on Vinted too.
Not a problem for me:) Have a look at all the great treasures I’ve hunted on Vinted in just a matter of weeks (in the mix: Ba&sh, Astrid Black Label, Kouka, Suncoo, Mango and Zara):
3. IT FEELS REAL
So Vinted feels light, and it feels right. But that is still not the full story, if you ask me.
There is something deeply authentic, human, and intimate about sharing clothes. It’s an act of female bonding.
What, you think I’m stretching it now? Well, judge for yourself! In the course of the last few weeks, I’ve chatted with other Vintees about how they’ve struggled to lose weight during this pandemic; about why they thought something was no longer appropriate for their age (come again???); or about husbands saying no to a dress and now the dress is gone forever (never ask the husband, darling!!!).
I’ve had a teenage girl asking for a 1€-reduction because she’d reached her monthly limit:), and a 60-year-old woman asking me to talk her through the packaging process ‘because she’d never done this type of computer-selling’:)
Call me cheesy, but this sort of stuff is heart-warming to me, especially these days. And I promise you, it feels genuine and real to wear a dress from a woman with an actual name, who sent it to me from Gent, in a package with some Easter eggs and a hand-written enjoy-the-dress note:)
As I always say, it’s the little things!
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Voilà my friends, those are the 3 reasons why to me it feels great to be on Vinted. Don’t be mistaken though: this is not a tribute to Vinted. In fact, should they start losing track of their original spirit, trust me, I’ll be the first to abandon ship and take my lovely wardrobe elsewhere.
No darlings, this is a tribute to us, women and men all over Europe, who are finding each other in our desire for a lighter, more authentic, and more eco-conscious way.
We see sad examples of fashion when global conglomerates make their designers produce entire collections based on nothing more than brand logos, while trying to sell it us as the biggest rebellion in fashion history (yes, I’m talking about Gucci’s so-called ‘hacking’ of Balenciaga… Honestly, who do they think they are fooling?).
But we also see people who from the confined space of their homes take back control, get creative, and simply start doing things differently. Trust me, it's more fun on the Vinted-side of fashion. Join us! My wardrobe is a great place to start:)
By the way, I’ll be publishing 2 spin-off blog posts with tips on how to sell and how to buy on Vinted, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
And remember, if you can't figure out how to make your wardrobe work for you, I can help! I can be your Style Coach and Personal Shopper in Brussels. I offer a whole range of hands-on styling sessions to help you explore, test new grounds, and surprise yourself. Because confidence and mastery inspire courage and playfulness!
Check out my Vinted-wardrobe, join my mailing list or follow me on Instagram.
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