Sew it seams...

"Diamonds are a girl's best friend," croonsHum or sing in a soft, low voice, especially in a sentimental manner. Marilyn Monroe in the iconic 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Well, no more. Today's youth are not looking for sparkling new jewels or freshly seamed garments, but rifling through musty shelves for pre-worn treasures.

Statistics show a 149% growth in Britain's second-hand clothes market between 2016 and 2022, and the market is expected to double in size within the next five years to a staggering £12.6 billion.

Many will welcome the shift. Some say that fast fashionCheap clothing produced quickly by big retailers in response to the latest trends. has made buying new almost too affordable. Nowadays, people spend a lower share of their income on clothing than ever before, but fast fashion has doubled overall clothes production in the last two decades.

And it has a huge environmental cost in the form of pollution, emissions, soil degradation and a loss of biodiversityBiodiversity is all the different kinds of life you'll find in one area - the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life. . Cheap clothes are also often manufactured in sweatshops where workers are paid just £3.50 an hour.¹

Some say we are exaggerating the problems of buying new. After all, fast fashion actually only accounts for 20% of the overall market in clothing. And some sustainable brands are creating new clothes with record low emissions.

Buying second-hand is no guarantee of sustainability. Donated clothes are often shipped to many different corners of the world before being sold to vintage and thrift brands, where the globe-trotting garments are found by consumers convinced that a new second-hand t-shirt will keep their carbon footprint small.

Nor does it ultimately solve the problem of overconsumption. As half a million people post their #ThriftHauls on Instagram, buying dozens of new items to wear once or twice, some might conclude that second-hand fashion is feeding our tendency to buy more than we need, not slaying it.

Yes: Buying new clothes might seem cheap, but the costs are huge for our planet. The fashion industry generates more emissions than aviation and shipping. In buying new, you are selling your (and our) future on Earth.

No: For people with lower incomes it is important to have cheap and convenient fast fashion options. And for people who have the money, there are more sustainable brands that still allow you to buy new.

Or...  It is unethical to buy - full stop. All spending incurs a cost, and to minimise it we need to stop overconsuming. Spending money on second-hand clothes is not a guarantee of ethics.