Isabel Cantista’s research while affiliated with Lusíada University of Lisbon and other places

The resale of clothing and accessories is a phenomenon with roots going back centuries. However, little attention has been paid to the history of the thrift store and second-hand in its connection to sellers and how they have directed consumer choice towards the enhanced qualities of the garment, once detached from the connection to its original owner. Starting from the historical perspective, we focus our attention on the origin of resale and then on its recent contemporary history, particularly from 1970s onwards. In this analysis, we consider particularly relevant the narratives of sellers and buyers/consumers of second-hand fashion goods. Based on this approach, we investigate a case study of an online resale platform: Sellpy, founded in 2014 and that is pursuing an exponential plan of expansion fuelled by its parent company H & M, which bought 70% of the company in 2019. We had in mind to look at the two drivers of the fashion business—sustainability and IT—and how they support the strong growth of the second-hand market. The conclusions point out that much needs to be done in terms of sustainability within a business model that, although present since the fifteenth century, has never grown as it is growing today.

Fashion heritage is often regarded as something static, to be preserved, of high value and therefore not directly accessible to everyone. In this book we try to challenge this conception of fashion heritage, using as a core concept what heritage is about in cultural and immaterial terms: narrative. It is through this narrative that objects related to everyday life achieve a special glamour, a certain “allure”, as they are material evidence of human life on Earth. It is through the narrative embedded in certain objects—here, fabrics, apparel, jewellery, and accessories—that they attain their value and interest in terms of preservation. In social sciences, narrative is also a way of building theory. What we are looking for in this regard is the consistency of the narrative. Without narrative, human knowledge would not be possible. Narrative therefore has a strength of its own and is not limited to the repetition of “formula”; it is the basis for creativity and innovation that take us to new worlds. Before designing the boat, one must have the dream of sailing away. In this introduction we want to explore narrative as a line of thought that links the past to the present in a dream of the future.

A particularity of fashion heritage lies in its capacity to renew the narrative forms of appearance woven between designers, producers and consumers, considering that forms of appearance are forms of expression of the “I” and the “We” (Simmel, G., American Journal of Sociology 62, 541-548, 1957; Crane, D., Fashion and its social agendas: class, gender, and identity in clothing. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 2000), with a strong repercussion in social terms, influencing the wellbeing and the construction of the life project of each and every individual. From this fact derives the power that fashion has been exercising throughout history. The diversity of fashion objects and the techniques and expertise related to their production, selling and use, and the multidisciplinary research based on all these aspects, contribute to the transmission of these narratives, raising the question of the definition and justification of heritage. Each of the case studies in this book reveals different social, political, economic and cultural motivations for the desire to ‘make heritage’. In a context of climate change and the unprecedented health crisis linked to the Covid-19 epidemic, the fashion and clothing industries have lessons to learn from the past and a reflection to make about the present and the future. It is within this frame that we propose a reflection on the role narratives play in the construction of knowledge and creativity, with knowledge and creativity at the core of what may be considered fashion heritage.

The paper discusses the research carried out to analyse to what extent the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations, the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, and the Fashion Pact influenced the policies and practices of the signatory companies. Four of the ten fashion companies founding signatories of the UN Fashion Charter and the Fashion Pact were selected: Inditex, H&M, Burberry, and Kering. They represented two segments: mass-market and luxury. A thorough analysis of information publicly available from the fashion companies and organisations related to them was accomplished. The concept of National and Regional Innovation Systems was explored as a framework, for analysis and decision-making processes. The results showed that political initiative was decisive in guiding companies in their sustainability strategies, and collaborative activities with other companies, from new based-technology companies (NTBFs) to logistics.

The resale of clothing and accessories is a phenomenon with roots going back centuries. However, little attention has been paid to the history of the thrift store and second-hand in its connection to sellers and how they have directed consumer choice towards the enhanced qualities of the garment, once detached from the connection to its original owner. Starting from the historical perspective, we focus our attention on the origin of resale and then on its recent contemporary history, particularly from 1970s onwards. In this analysis, we consider particularly relevant the narratives of sellers and buyers/consumers of second-hand fashion goods. Based on this approach, we investigate a case study of an online resale platform: Sellpy, founded in 2014 and that is pursuing an exponential plan of expansion fuelled by its parent company H & M, which bought 70% of the company in 2019. We had in mind to look at the two drivers of the fashion business—sustainability and IT—and how they support the strong growth of the second-hand market. The conclusions point out that much needs to be done in terms of sustainability within a business model that, although present since the fifteenth century, has never grown as it is growing today.

A particularity of fashion heritage lies in its capacity to renew the narrative forms of appearance woven between designers, producers and consumers, considering that forms of appearance are forms of expression of the “I” and the “We” (Simmel, G., American Journal of Sociology 62, 541-548, 1957; Crane, D., Fashion and its social agendas: class, gender, and identity in clothing. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 2000), with a strong repercussion in social terms, influencing the wellbeing and the construction of the life project of each and every individual. From this fact derives the power that fashion has been exercising throughout history.The diversity of fashion objects and the techniques and expertise related to their production, selling and use, and the multidisciplinary research based on all these aspects, contribute to the transmission of these narratives, raising the question of the definition and justification of heritage. Each of the case studies in this book reveals different social, political, economic and cultural motivations for the desire to ‘make heritage’. In a context of climate change and the unprecedented health crisis linked to the Covid-19 epidemic, the fashion and clothing industries have lessons to learn from the past and a reflection to make about the present and the future. It is within this frame that we propose a reflection on the role narratives play in the construction of knowledge and creativity, with knowledge and creativity at the core of what may be considered fashion heritage.

Fashion heritage is often regarded as something static, to be preserved, of high value and therefore not directly accessible to everyone. In this book we try to challenge this conception of fashion heritage, using as a core concept what heritage is about in cultural and immaterial terms: narrative. It is through this narrative that objects related to everyday life achieve a special glamour, a certain “allure”, as they are material evidence of human life on Earth. It is through the narrative embedded in certain objects—here, fabrics, apparel, jewellery, and accessories—that they attain their value and interest in terms of preservation. In social sciences, narrative is also a way of building theory. What we are looking for in this regard is the consistency of the narrative. Without narrative, human knowledge would not be possible. Narrative therefore has a strength of its own and is not limited to the repetition of “formula”; it is the basis for creativity and innovation that take us to new worlds. Before designing the boat, one must have the dream of sailing away. In this introduction we want to explore narrative as a line of thought that links the past to the present in a dream of the future.