The Thrifting Revolution in Brazil

In recent years, the fashion industry has witnessed a shift towards more sustainable practices, and one of the most prominent trends emerging from this movement is the rise of thrifting. This stems from several things:  Gen-Z's environmental concerns over the negative impacts of fast fashion, rising inflation, and a general dissatisfaction with the quality of garments nowadays. Every few months, a new version of a "Why are clothes worse now?" video essay pops up on YouTube and garners millions of views, attesting to how widespread this dissatisfaction is (no, really, look it up).

What only a decade ago was considered simply an affordable (and sometimes the only) option for lower income families to shop for clothing and household items, is now a full on hobby, or in some cases profession, where (mostly) young people gather and hunt for the most valuable, rare, or "cool" find. Hobbyists may keep these items for themselves or casually resell them, but professional thrift store hunters are constantly buying and reselling thrifted items, often at a steep mark-up.

Regular thrift store goers have already observed the negative impacts of this sudden rise in popularity, from increasing prices to decreased option quality, bringing criticism to thrifting as a hobby and a profession. Regardless of that, the practice is hotter than ever, and the rise of TikTok trends and Thrift Hauls has helped spread the fever globally. According to the ThreadUp Resale Report, the global secondhand market is expected to reach $350 billion in the next four years.

Buying Second Hand in Latin America

When it comes to adopting this cultural shift, Latin America is no different. Thrift stores have long been associated with charitable initiatives to help people in need, but were not well-regarded in larger commercial circles or seen by consumers as desirable. However, with changes in the global perspective, thrift stores have had increasing appeal in the region.

Latin America in general is a culturally fertile ground for this kind of change (perhaps due to a more waste-averse mindset): donating (to charities, churches, friends, family, and domestic workers) or turning old clothes into a cleaning cloth or floorcloth are all options that come before throwing something in the trash, according to the CHEP report. However, compared to things like recycling and mending damaged items, buying second hand is still one of the least popular home upcycling methods in the region.

Still, thrifting has been trending up, and like in the rest of the world, environmental consciousness, social media trends, and Gen-Z's push for authentic and unique styles have been driving this change. However, the way in which many of these countries approach thrifting is a little bit different than the U.S. market.

Take Brazil, the leading second hand clothing buyer in the region, as an example: unlike the U.S., large scale second hand stores like Goodwill or thrifting-focused platforms like Depop aren't really a thing. Rather, people go to second hand street markets (where sometimes piles of clothes are laid on the pavement, sold for no more than cents a piece), small hand-me-down stores (which vary greatly in price and conditions), or independent curators.

Informal Thrift Stores - An E-Commerce Trend in Brazil

This third emerging group - independent curators - is an interesting one to look at. A few years ago, Instagram pages working as thrift stores started popping up, and quickly grew an audience. "Panning" for finds, the popular slang used to describe thrifting, is no easy feat.

The owners of these pages (usually young women) spend days visiting hand-me-down spots, frequently in hard-to-access locations, to put together a haul that's worth reselling - only to then mend the pieces and clean them of stains, and finally, post them for the first commenter to grab. This is something the average shopper doesn't have the knowledge or the time to do, and so, these one-woman stores quickly became a great way for the average consumer to access these items.

Although most of these stores get their finds from niche, often lower income areas, on the other end of the spectrum there are also sellers who target higher income customers for a more "curated" experience. They travel abroad (usually to the US and Europe), and flip items they thrifted in cities like New York, Paris, or Barcelona for a higher (often higher than retail) price.

Combined with the post-pandemic rise of e-commerce in the region, these types of sellers have become more established entities. Now, in a city like Salvador (which, unlike a larger metropolis like São Paulo, doesn't have things like vintage markets where people shop for old trinkets and eccentric clothes on the weekends), they are the main way in which young consumers are buying second hand items. In the past 5 years some of these stores grew from having around a thousand followers to close to 40,000.

A Sneak Peak at Another Market: Buenos Aires

While in some Brazilian areas thrifting may be a recent trend, in Argentina's capital, there seems to be a bustling culture around the hobby. One Reddit user said about thrifting in Buenos Aires: "It is a big, big thing here for people into fashion. Here we call them 'ferias americanas', and it's basically all filled with used items. [...] Thrifting is really big in the city. You just need to know where to look." There are multiple articles dedicated to hot spot recommendations, showing how this "panning" culture is ingrained in the city.

Conclusion

As the thrifting movement continues to grow in Latin America, it is likely to have a lasting impact on the fashion industry. The stigma once associated with second-hand shopping is fading, as more people recognize the value and appeal of thrifted clothing as not only a way to save a buck and help the planet, but also as an authenticity statement and a means of self-expression.

This phenomenon signals a major transformation in consumer behavior in the region, particularly among younger demographics. To market researchers, understanding this trend is crucial, as brands and retailers need to adapt their strategies to meet the growing demand for sustainable, affordable, and unique fashion alternatives.

This shift in the fashion market also points to a larger trend among younger consumers in LATAM - an insistence on quality. As cost of living increases, options in the market increase with e-commerce and globalization, and consumers get more savvy, we see that younger consumers in Latin America are prioritizing the quality and lastingness of goods more so than in previous years. The economic implications of these shifts, such as the impact on pricing and product availability, highlight the importance of monitoring this market segment to identify emerging opportunities and trends.