Clothing reseller says future is preloved and AI-powered

Artificial intelligence will spur on sales of secondhand clothes, according to the boss of one of the biggest online resale sites.

- Sarah Butler

James Reinhart, the chief executive of ThredUp, made his comments after global used clothing sales rose 15% last year - more than four times faster than the wider fashion market.

Preloved clothing items now account for $227bn (£175bn) or 9% of total fashion sales, according to a report by analysts at GlobalData for ThredUp. The figure represents a big leap over the past five years and has led to resellers eating into the market share of major clothing retailers.

Sales are expected to increase by a further 11% this year as new technology, such as AI search tools, helps shoppers find the items they want.

Shoppers in the US, where ThredUp is based, are also expected to seek out more preloved garments if tariffs on goods made in China push up clothing prices.