{"id":4891,"date":"2025-10-03T00:21:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T00:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegloss.online\/?p=4891"},"modified":"2025-10-03T00:21:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T00:21:25","slug":"beyond-cheap-thrills-how-thrifting-became-curated-cool-and-collectible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thegloss.online\/?p=4891","title":{"rendered":"Beyond cheap thrills: How thrifting became curated, cool and collectible"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Pastel grids, mirror selfies in thrifted cargos, captions that announce \u201cNew drop soon\u201d and comments full of \u201cprice please!\u201d India\u2019s 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\u2019s look for cheap, marketed as vintage. On Bengaluru\u2019s 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\u2019t just resale, it\u2019s reinvention. And India\u2019s preloved businesses are growing up.<\/p>\n

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There are close to 400 registered thrifting enterprises in big cities. (SHUTTERSTOCK)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cBack in 2020, the term thrifting was almost unheard of in India,\u201d says 28-year-old Kanchan Kathayat, who runs @LadduThrifts on Instagram. \u201cDelhi shoppers went to Sarojini Market and Janpath for cheap fashion, but thrifting was something only international YouTubers raved about.\u201d Kathayat was studying to become a chartered accountant when her family\u2019s 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%.<\/p>\n

Thrifting took off when we were all locked down at home, confronting our packed closets. By mid-2022, Instagram had about 12.6 million posts tagged #thrift and eight million tagged #thriftshops from India. Now there are close to 400 registered thrifting enterprises, in big cities, as well as Pune, Kolkata and Lucknow. We\u2019ve gone from weekend pop-ups to invite-only communities, swap meets and eagle-eyed teens who can tell the difference between a Gently Used and Fair Condition luxury handbag.<\/p>\n

\"Stuti<\/span>
Stuti Jain, founder of Swap Fashions, says Gen Zs are their biggest customers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cFor the first time ever, the Kala Ghoda Festival had a thrift store this year,\u201d says Stuti Jain, 42, founder of five-year-old Swap Fashions. \u201cGen Z flocked to us like we were an attraction in ourselves.\u201d Her business started online and they now have a store in Lower Parel. Their clothes are sourced from everywhere: Urban professionals clearing wardrobes, NGO collection drives and designers shutting shop. Prices usually fall between \u20b9<\/span>1,000 and \u20b9<\/span>6,000, pegged at about 65% to 70% of the original retail price. One could score a Michael Kors dress for as little as \u20b9<\/span>6,000.<\/p>\n

In the resale business, you\u2019re only as good as your authentication. So, Stuti\u2019s team examines each piece that comes in for condition, quality, tags, stains, wear patterns and sizing label. Next, it\u2019s cleaned, steam-ironed, photographed and displayed online \u2013 as good as new. Most pieces are snapped up by members within the weekly WhatsApp drop itself.<\/p>\n

\"Kanchan<\/span>
Kanchan Kathayat, founder of Laddu Thrifts, dresses up posts and Reels so the items look covetable.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The business has its unique strategies to scale up. \u201cWe run a swap-back program, in which customers who sell to us earn store credit,\u201d says Stuti. In July, they launched a rent-a-rack model, letting stylists, designers and even individuals temporarily lease space to sell their pre-owned clothes<\/p>\n

Kathayat started small, sourcing clothes at Delhi markets. Now, she buys in bulk from garment hubs such as Jaipur, Gujarat, and Bengaluru. A haul can often weigh 80 kilos, so inspection is a long chore. \u201cI segregate by quality: Economy, premium or vintage core,\u201d she says. Prices range from \u20b9<\/span>99 for simple tops to \u20b9<\/span>1,500 for winter wear and rare vintage finds. Items of poor-quality fabric don\u2019t make it to the display. \u201cQuality builds word of mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kathayat spends half her working day dressing up her posts and Reels so the items look covetable. Three curated collections of 15 pieces drop each week, nearly 80% sell out within days. The customers have grown into a community of friends. Kathayat recalls one order, in which a customer paid her an extra \u20b9<\/span>300 and asked her to try her favourite drink, a dirty matcha.<\/p>\n

\"Vijaya<\/span>
Vijaya Josephine Pais runs Good Karma Thrift in Goa. They only work with second-hand donations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Former flight attendant Vijaya Josephine Pais, 44, runs Good Karma Thrift in Goa. She once owned nearly 100 pairs of shoes before moving towards minimalism. She opened her first store inside a caf\u00e9 in Anjuna in 2020, and another in Vagator in 2022.<\/p>\n

Good Karma works only with second-hand donations. Around 1,000 items (clothes, shoes, books, d\u00e9cor) arrive each month. They\u2019re spruced up and graded by quality. She manages to sell 80% of her stock, sending 25% of proceeds to local non-profits. Events such as barter days and Instagram and WhatsApp broadcasts drive pan-India orders. \u201cIt\u2019s not about crazy profit,\u201d Pais says. \u201cOne T-shirt takes 2,700 litres of water to make, and a pair of jeans? Nearly 10,000. Once people realise that, they consider thrifting,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

From HT Brunch, October 04, 2025<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

Follow us on www.instagram.com\/htbrunch<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n