Frills and cheap thrills

Preloved fashion is no longer second- best. It's curated and one-of-a-kind. See how thrifters are making resale hauls look cooler than fresh drops

- Taranna Khetpal letters@hindustan times.com

Pastel grids, mirror selfies in thrifted cargos, captions that announce “New drop soon” and comments full of “price please!” India’s thrift economy looks less like a clearance rack and more like a curated boutique. In Mumbai, Bandra is full of little shops selling last season’s look for cheap, marketed as vintage. On Bengaluru’s Church Street, the shops are stuffed with preloved Zara tops, Y2K minis and indie tees. Online, sellers orchestrate full-on photoshoots around a single once-used dress, in the hope that it will be bought and used again.

This isn’t just resale, it’s reinvention. And India’s preloved businesses are growing up.

Kathayat was studying to become a chartered accountant when her family’s finances collapsed. Inspired by the Netflix series Girl Boss, she gave thrifting a try in March 2020. The pandemic was looming. She had zero investment, a borrowed iPad, and a pile of unworn clothes. She made her first sale in Aurangabad at a profit of 200%.