We used to feel bad about fast fashion hauls. Now we just feel clever for doing it second-hand. Vintage kilo sales, Vinted bundles, £3 Depop steals, we’ve turned bargain hunting into a badge of honour. But here’s the honest truth: a haul is still a haul. And second-hand overconsumption is still overconsumption.
We’ve just swapped the guilt for a green halo.
Platforms like Depop and Vinted are amazing in theory. Clothes are getting recirculated. Landfills are spared (for now). And shopping sustainably has never been more accessible. But the issue is this: we haven’t fixed us. Our appetite to consume hasn’t gone anywhere, we’ve just rebranded it as “eco.”
Instead of “treat yourself” with a new Shein top, it’s now “omg look what I found for £2 on Vinted” and suddenly we feel virtuous, not impulsive. But the behaviour hasn’t changed. It’s still dopamine dressing driven by constant scrolling, constant novelty, and that thrill of the checkout. We’ve just added the buzz of a good deal to the mix.
The problem isn’t fast fashion or second-hand... It’s our mindset. The deep-rooted conditioning that tells us new clothes = new self. That buying = becoming. That the answer to a bad day is a cart full of vintage Y2K corsets and some random jorts you’ll wear once for instagram.
And it starts young. By the time you’re 11, you’ve probably already seen your first Shein haul on TikTok. By 14, you know what “bundle” means on Depop. We’re not even aware that this is all learned behaviour. But it is. Because somewhere along the line, shopping stopped being a necessity and started being a personality.
So what’s the fix? Honestly, it’s not banning apps or shaming hauls. It’s re-education. But not the boring kind.
We need actual conversations very early, often, and built into how young people understand value. What if schools taught consumption literacy the same way they teach food tech? What if learning about impact, waste, and marketing was a core part of creative education, especially in fashion and media?
Because it’s not just about “buy less”, it’s about think better. About making people ask: Why am I buying this? Where did it come from? Who wore it before me and who will wear it next?
It’s also about unlearning. And that’s hard. Because many of us, especially Gen Z creatives, have grown up with thrift culture as our intro to sustainability. So to admit it might be flawed feels personal. But it’s not about blame, it’s about depth. Second-hand can be circular, but only if the mindset is too.
Sustainability isn’t just swapping shops. It’s rewiring the reward system. Teaching that the goal isn’t quantity, it’s intention. That a well-loved item you rewear 20 times is cooler than a 10-piece bundle you forget next month.
Because in the end, thrift hauls won’t save us. But education, reflection, and community might.
And maybe one day, the biggest flex won’t be how much you bought for how little—but how long you’ve had it, how well you’ve styled it, and how deeply you actually value what you wear.