Passion for the Preloved

There’s little the pandemic didn’t change. It had the opposite of the Midas touch, turning everything we knew about ourselves and the way we engaged with the world on its head. As the lifestyle editor of a global magazine at the time, I saw the shift from the inside. I saw a restaurant industry popping with new openings either crash, or convert to cloud kitchens for the better part of two years. Many favourites flourished, many more were lost. The bar industry clamoured to innovate, siring DIY cocktail kits and home-deliverable pre-batches that didn’t make a dent in what they earned from shaken martinis on a buzzy night. And then, there was the reverb on fashion.

The ripple effect was felt across the industry. Luxury buying dipped, since there was nowhere to carry a Prada bag. Homegrown brands blossomed, because shopping locally was easier. And, of course, there were the two biggest changes. There was the pivot to sustainability (the classic reassessment of consumerism post-apocalypse) and a spike in online shopping (because consumerism dies hard—and is easier from home). The two ideas seemed counterintuitive, and yet, found a way to come together… in the Instagram thrift store.

Cut to five years later, and almost none of those pandemic-linked lifestyle changes remain. But somehow, amongst the revert to status quo and the hard left turns, the Instagram thrift store has stayed its course.

Dennis Hauzel launched his store, Bygone Echoes, in January 2020; and was terrified by how it would play out. “I was really nervous if I’d be able to sell anything during such a challenging time. Surprisingly, my business actually thrived; everyone was stuck at home and turned to online shopping. Five years later, my sales are still going strong, and I’m really proud of how far the store has come. Running it has allowed me to move from my small bedroom apartment to a much bigger space and opened up opportunities I never imagined.”

While there were only about 40-45 Instagram stores across the country in 2020, the numbers had risen to the hundreds by early 2024. These stores range from exclusively women’s clothing (like Bodements), whimsical vintage items (like Panda Picked), preloved luxury (like Aimee) or pop-culture and hype centric (like Paradime Thrift). Consumer-wise, Gen-Z and early millennials are at the heart of it.

“Our target audience or demographic is millennials and Gen-Z folks between the ages of 20-35,” says Riya Rokade of Vintage Laundry. “Gender is no bar, and we’re popular in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi. Younger generations are totally comfortable buying straight from Instagram; and it’s been a game-changer for small businesses.”

Hauzel says that if he had to define an age group, it would range from early 20s to early 40s, primarily millennials and it includes people from the fashion and entertainment industries, as well as artists, editors, and working professionals.

Though popular (and on the uptick), there is a limit to who the IG thrift store can reach; a limit that often comes from preconceived notions. “There’s a social stigma surrounding it,” Rokade says. “Many people still view second-hand shopping as inferior, or associated with lower socioeconomic status. Additionally, concerns about hygiene are also a common misconception. If anything, second-hand pieces are often superior in quality and uniqueness. You won’t find these one-of-a-kind items at your local mall. I think each second-hand piece has its own story and quirks.”

Finding something one-of-a-kind is exactly what draws celebrity stylist Divyak D’Souza to thrift stores. “I remember going through a ‘grandma blouse’ phase, which was heavily borrowed from my mother’s style as a younger woman—think bold prints in silk blends, with shoulder pads. Carol Humtsoe, a model from the Northeast, is the founder of a fantastic online thrift store [Carol’s Shop & Tea Room] and she stocks a lot of these rare beauties.”

But the Achilles heel of an idiosyncratic collection is that it leaves a lot to chance. The other deterrent is trading in a seamless shopping experience for a toss-up, one that can range from getting your product late, damaged—or, in the odd case—not getting it at all. Stylist Surbhi Shukla mentions she’d had experiences where “an item I ordered didn’t come to me for nearly a month. In a couple of instances, the order was arbitrarily cancelled. The finds are great—but the experience could definitely be streamlined.”

The flipside, from an owner perspective, is the hurdles that come with running a preloved fashion store. Hauzel sources his products from all over Delhi, sometimes the Northeast, especially Manipur and Nagaland, where he’s originally from. Then comes cleaning, either by dry cleaning or washing. “After that, I prepare them for photography,” he says. “I usually do product photography, but occasionally I’ll use a model to make the items more appealing. Once the photos are ready, I take measurements, note fabric details, and write descriptions before posting them for sale.”

Rokade says her day-to-day is ‘pretty varied’. “We have a unique, ’80s-inspired aesthetic, so our curation is extremely meticulous with handpicked pieces from all over the country. As a stylist, I also love incorporating unused pieces from my own projects into the collection, ensuring that every item is one of a kind.”

Dealing in select pieces with no duplicates can also be a double-edged sword. When a design is coveted by many, it can only be sold to one customer. Rokade says, “This exclusivity is part of the charm, but it also means I have to manage customer expectations and disappointment when a coveted item sells out.” The other challenge with selling pre-owned goods? Having them devalued, as Indian customers tend to bargain, and this can be especially hard to handle for small businesses.

The Instagram thrift store is a complex beast. In a demanding fashion market that still wants to adhere to some sense of conscience, buying preloved pieces right off your feed is an organic crossover with lasting power. The space has incredible potential; one being recognised by fashion entrepreneurs, if its four-year growth chart is anything to go by. There are, of course, kinks to be ironed out—sizing, delivery, reach, and battling the ‘second-hand’ misconception. But, having tracked IG thrift spaces from the early 2020s, it is clear that progress has been made. And they bring enough to the table, both from the PoV of art and the environment, and for us to keep buying from them.

Check out these Insta Stores for:
1980’s Inspired clothing @vintage.laundryy
Nagaland Streetstyle @carols.shop
Whimsical co-ords @pandapickedstore
Upcycled Womenswear @bodements, @bezzie.in
Saturated hues and pop prints @bygonechoes
Indian crafts and textiles @nobordersshop

fashionGen ZIndian youthlifestyleManipurNagalandWeb Exclusive