MORE STYLE, LESS MONEY

In Paris, five stores to find Chanel, Dior and more at a markdown

- AMY TARA KOCH

When shopping in Paris, you could follow the tourists to Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where off-the-catwalk designs are displayed like venerated artwork.

Or, have an adventure and save euros hunting down "gently used" designer clothing at the city's neighbourhood dépôt-ventes, where French people of exacting taste consign their castoffs.

Unlike your average thrift store (those are called friperies), the dépôt-vente, which translates to "deposit and sale", is an upscale version where high-end clothing sells at a fraction of retail prices.

In the past few years, these boutiques have gained a new audience: travellers, especially an international cadre of Gen Z-ers and millennials on the prowl for "pre-loved" Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and lesser-known labels.

The attraction, of course, lies in the enduring allure and high quality of French brands — and the deeply discounted prices, especially for Americans since the dollar and the euro are close to par. It is also tethered to the role sustainability now plays in the shopping habits of younger people. Secondhand clothing is a green alternative to buying new, particularly with fast fashion's reputation for meh quality and poor working conditions.

A report released by the online secondhand platform ThredUp this year predicts the resale market will be worth US$367 billion by 2029, increasing at three times the rate of the overall global apparel market.

"The secondhand market is driven by Gen Z and millennials who weigh the social and environmental costs of a product before buying it," said Matteo Capellini, a sustainability expert at the consulting firm Bain & Co.