Businessweek The Hottest New Look Is Used Lorem ipsum teekay dek for thriftcon here. Lorem ipsum text. By Andy Bosselman May 15, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT
Vintage clothing was already in. Then came Trump's tariffs, and preloved apparel is more in demand than ever.
Text and photos by Andy Bosselman
Almost 10,000 thrifters and artists gathered inside Georgia's second-largest convention center this spring to buy and sell roughly $1 million of secondhand and upcycled clothing at ThriftCon Atlanta. It's a big step up from the company's first vintage pop-up, convened in a Denver parking lot in 2018.
ThriftCon, which has exploded into the largest traveling marketplace for preloved fashion in the US, drew 40,000 attendees to its various events in 2024 and expects to double that this year as prices for new apparel rise because of inflation and President Donald Trump 's tariffs. In 2025 organizers are expanding to include 10 pop-up markets in exhibition halls and concert venues across the US, plus a debut in London.
'If fast fashion is getting more expensive,' says vendor Blake Adams, who also operates a vintage storefront in Mobile, Alabama, 'it makes sense for recycled, sustainable, older stuff to be more sought-after.'
Many buyers at the April 19 event said they were trying to keep worn clothing out of landfills; others were looking to save money. Many cited the declining quality of today's apparel and increasing costs as reasons to choose preowned alternatives.
Some vendors brought in as much as $15,000 at their booths, peddling everything from bargain-bin finds to Y2K-era streetwear. Jeff Ross, a musician who in the '90s designed iconic T-shirts for bands such as Mudhoney, the Fluid and Nirvana, has been selling his collection of vintage tees to fund his lifestyle in Japan. They regularly go for $4,000 or $5,000; a recent sale reached $10,000.
Even before US trade policies drove up apparel prices, demand for thrifted items was booming. The US secondhand clothing market grew 14% in 2024—five times faster than the broader retail apparel market—and is expected to reach $74 billion by 2029, says online consignment store ThredUp Inc.
'You get pieces you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else,' says Braxton Kennedy, an 18-year-old student who sells occasional finds for profit. 'Not too long ago, I got a hoodie for $6, and I flipped it for $65.'
'THE STUFF RIGHT HERE IS ALWAYS GOING TO INCREASE IN VALUE'
More than two out of three younger-generation shoppers, meaning those age 18 to 44, shopped for secondhand apparel last year, ThredUp says. That's 10 percentage points more than for the wider population.
It was Tanisha Browne's (right) and her friend Maxine McCauley-Hack's first ThriftCon, but they shopped like veterans—each leaving with about 10 finds, including what Browne estimated as 'at least five coats apiece.' Who buys coats in Atlanta just before summer? Browne laughs, saying the prices and brands were too good to ignore. 'I mean, you couldn't leave it behind.'
'If it lasted that long and you know you'll wear it, it's worth it'
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