The Rise of a New Culture?
The global consumption of fashion has skyrocketed over the last several years with fast-fashion and changing styles greatly contributing to this increase.
Roughly 92 million tonnes of textiles are dumped into landfills globally every year according to the United Nations Environment Programme, and this number will increase to around 134 million tonnes by 2030 if current trends continue. Of this, 73% of textile waste is landfilled or incinerated.
While many people around the world are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental impact as a result of overproduction and consumption, a new trend among youth is developing.
In this fast-fashion city, there are groups of young people who are taking the opposite route.
Instead of going to malls, young people are searching for “treasures” at small second-hand stores hidden in residential buildings in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, and social enterprises in Wan Chai.
Numerous young people are gathering outside of the small second-hand clothing stores found between larger retail stores and searching through racks of second-hand clothing overflowing from the store front to the sidewalk. Young people are often shoulder to shoulder in the small store front.
Purchasing secondhand clothing has become so much more than simply “picking through someone else’s clothes.” For many people, secondhand shopping now represents an entire way of life defined by sustainability, individuality, and vintage aesthetics.
“And we think that culture is really cool,” said Clarence, a university students.
“The vintage style has been particularly popular on Instagram in recent years,” said Clarence, a university student who was finding the clothes. “And we think that culture is really cool.”
Secondhand clothing has gone from being considered a niche market or even having negative connotations attached to it, to becoming an emerging movement among the youth in the city. Although this will likely continue to expand in various locations throughout Hong Kong, what these scenes demonstrate is a larger cultural change toward secondhand apparel, and has future effects on how society will consume, value, and consider apparel.
Environmental issues: fashion waste crisis
Globally, we’re now throwing away something like 90–120 million tonnes of textiles every year, with one major consultancy putting the figure at around 120 million tonnes for 2024 alone. Only about 10–12% of that actually gets recycled. The rest of them is buried, burned, or shipped off to other countries, often ending up in markets or environments that never asked for it.
In places like Hong Kong, the scale becomes even more personal. Reports show the city discards roughly 340–400 tonnes of textiles each day, much of it piling into landfills because there aren’t enough systems to sort it properly or turn it into new material. Many people admit they wear a piece only a few times, or even not at all, revealing the insufficient consideration before their purchase.
At the same time, most cities still treat textiles as “residual” waste, throwing them into the same mix as food scraps and packaging, even though a t‑shirt or jacket could be reworn, repaired, or reborn into something new. That gap between what clothes can do and how we actually treat them is where the crisis lives.
In February 2021, the Government unveiled the “Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035,” which presents a vision centered on “Waste Reduction‧Resources Circulation‧Zero Landfill.” The blueprint lays out the approaches, targets, and actions aimed at addressing waste management challenges through the year 2035. The Blueprint does not spell out a detailed roadmap to deal with the textile, but it creates a policy environment where c fashion waste has to be taken seriously.
For example, the Government is expanding publicly funded collection services and widening the “Green@Community” network to every district. This includes setting up more convenient drop-off points for various recyclables, such as textiles, allowing the public to separately dispose of used clothing. Such measures help channel apparel away from landfills and toward recycling or reuse. Additionally, under the “Resources Circulation” pillar, the blueprint actively supports turning waste into valuable resources, including fabrics, by promoting the recovery and recycling of used garments. This translates into policy backing for secondhand markets, donation systems, and fabric reprocessing schemes, moving away from treating clothes as single-use items.
Why Are Young People Driving This Change?
In Mong Kok, second-hand apparel stores like Mee Gee and Retrovert have recently become more prominent indicators of Hong Kong’s changing culture of consumerism. Each day, both during the week and on weekends, these establishments receive a substantial amount of business from young people in the area.
Inside the stores, shoppers are frequently surrounded by racks of curated vintage garments. Young people sift through various clothing items that are distributed throughout the store. The garments being sought are popular pieces from the 2000s, including low-rise denim jeans, crop tops and gleaming belts.
The Y2K aesthetic is taking over the world right now! Popular creators are copying Y2K fashion and flooding the hottest media platforms (Instagram, Twitter & TikTok) with the same type of content – videos tagged “Y2K” can be found on TikTok and the creators of those videos have drawn upon styles from early 2000s fashion; many vintage clothing stores have seen an influx of young, fashion-forward shoppers looking for the original designs of popular brands from this time period.
This growing popularity is closely linked to the influence of social media. On platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Xiaohongshu, short-form videos showcasing thrift hauls, vintage outfit styling and “second-hand treasure hunting” have helped reshape perceptions of used clothing.
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Previously associated with limited budgets and necessity, purchasing used/secondhand items has been framed as something more; a means of self-expression or lifestyle.
Non-Hong Kong visitors (especially those visiting from mainland China, and other parts of Asia) who have been exposed to thrift shopping via social media, are increasingly coming to Hong Kong to find thrifted items.
“I’m looking for a vintage red dress” said Clarence. “I saw a lot of people recommending this store on Instagram.”
While the current interest may seem sudden, the secondhand thrift culture has been changing gradually in Hong Kong since the early 2000’s. Used clothing was primarily found in charity type shops, informal resale markets, or limited small-scale thrift type stores, and as such were associated primarily with affordability rather than style. Over the past decade, the emergence of online resale platforms as well as curated vintage stores has completely altered this pattern. Other independently run thrift type stores and social enterprise businesses that sell used clothing have also contributed to the overall shift towards normalizing secondhand clothing purchases as well as re-contextualizing them within a more intentional and design-focused retailing environment.
The greatest evidence of this shift can be seen in younger consumers (university aged), who see purchasing used/secondhand clothing as a means to express their individuality and a way to engage in sustainable consumption.
“It feels cool,” said Miranda Lam, a university student from HKU. “I love denim and bright-colored crop tops, it looks very Y2K and has a retro vibe.”
For these consumers, the appeal lies not only in environmental awareness, but also in the sense of discovery and personal style.
However, attitudes remain mixed.
Some young people continue to express reservations about second-hand clothing, particularly in relation to hygiene or personal preference. “I prefer new clothes because it feels cleaner and more comfortable,” said Heidi Yau, a university student at HKU.
Despite these differing views, supporters of second-hand fashion argue that its appeal is increasingly tied to more than just price or trend. For many, it represents a shift in values—towards sustainability, individuality, and a slower approach to consumption.
How Second-Hand Fashion is Gaining Traction
In Hong Kong, where fast fashion reigns, a group of determined entrepreneurs are still striving to rewrite the story of second-hand clothes.
At Green Ladies in Sai Ying Pun, operators under St. James’ Settlement started small in 2008, evolving a consignment model. They sift through racks daily, rehoming unworn gems while coaching staff on sales and eco-stories. Low donations? They host swap events and partner tirelessly with locals, juggling multiple outlets to keep the cycle spinning—proving second-hand can mend both wardrobes and lives. Apart from promoting environmental sustainability, they also want to promote community inclusion that they provide job opportunities as well as training to the middle-aged women.
Across town in Sham Shui Po, Christina Dean had already logged ten years of pop-up battles by 2021. When she finally opened The Redress Closet at 78 Apliu Street, it wasn’t glamour—it was grit. Her team sorted endless donation bags by hand, ensuring every item shone, while channeling sales back into anti-waste workshops. Facing Hong Kong’s 339-tonne daily textile trash, Dean knocked on community doors, rallied volunteers, and bridged low supply with take-back drives, turning a trendy hood’s foot traffic into a sustainability lifeline.
Apart from brick-and-mortar stores, online platforms have been crucial to the growth of second-hand fashion, and Carousell is one of the most important in Hong Kong.
Amy, a 20s office lady who’s been quietly revolutionizing her wardrobe on Carousell for over five years.
“ I used to be a supporter of fast fashion. Buying new clothes just makes me happy.” Amy said. But as the trend of decluttering became more popular a few years ago, she began clearing out unwanted items from her wardrobe regularly. As a fashion lover, she had bought many clothes over the years. She only realized, when she started decluttering, that she no longer liked some of them or that they had already gone out of style. That is why she listed her first item on Carousell.
When I say ‘I SECOND’…
I will reuse secondhand fashion!
I fully agree and support the concept of ‘REUSE, RESTYLE and EMPOWERMENT’!
Young shoppers are rummaging through racks at the Mee And Gee store, while sellers are using Carousell to list all their unworn clothing. Middle-aged women can find their purpose at Green Ladies, and environmental advocates are advocating for policy changes. All of these groups are rewriting a collective history of fashion in Hong Kong. They are all, in their own ways, writing a new chapter for Hong Kong’s fashion culture.
What was once seen as “picking through someone else’s leftovers” is becoming, but it has morphed into a rational and purposeful decision for many people to choose individuality rather than conformity, choose sustainability rather than disposability, and choose slow clothing rather than quick trends.
The phrase “I SECOND” is more than just a marketing mantra encouraging consumers to change their shopping habits and support reuse. It has developed into a philosophy for those who live in a city that is buried under piles of discarded clothing.
