Introducing our Pre-Loved vertical

It’s arrived and we couldn’t be prouder. 

There was a time when I swore I’d never again utter the words ‘now, more than ever’. But in the wake of a report released earlier this year that revealed Australians buy more new clothes than anyone else in the world (a staggering 56 new items a year, averaging $13 a purchase) it feels appropriate. 

We know now, more than ever, how bad fashion overconsumption is for the environment and the human cost of fast fashion production. Even if you’re not aware of the fashion industry’s potential for harm, it doesn’t take a tertiary qualification to begin to question the origin of your clothes. 

Don’t forget, even the most sustainable cotton has to be grown, spun and woven into fabric before it’s distributed, sold, cut into patterns and sewn together. This often happens across multiple countries, if not continents, before it’s ever worn. Add buttons, zips, buckles, or other hardware and the process becomes even more geographically complex. 

We know that many brands tout themselves as sustainable, only to be revealed as ‘not good enough’ by reputable, independent sources. Or they may in fact be genuine in their sustainability initiatives and as a result, carry a price tag that reflects the true value of the garments they’re making. In the context of today’s cost of living crisis, it’s no surprise the average Australian is choosing to buy 56 $13 garments rather than a handful of responsibly-made clothes. 

As a fashion publication, we consider ourselves as having a pretty huge responsibility. What we publish both directly and indirectly influences consumer behaviour because traditionally, the role of fashion magazines has been to sell fashion. 

It’s something that in light of all the above, we’ve really grappled with as a team. How ethical is it to encourage the biggest consumers of fashion in the world to buy even more fashion? How can we instead use our platform to steer change for the better? 

A few years back, we made the decision to champion personal style over trends. We decided we’d avoid prompting readers to buy something new and instead encourage them to browse, borrow, rent and think carefully about their purchases. Among it all, we’d promote pre-loved fashion as much as we could.

We’ve been writing about pre-loved fashion for a long time now, so we’re thrilled to finally give our pre-loved fashion stories their own home on Fashion Journal. Today we launch Pre-Loved, a standalone content vertical to sit alongside our core pillars of Fashion, Beauty, Life, Health and Music. An initiative made possible by eBay Australia, our Pre-Loved vertical will house dozens of new and already-published stories written by the Fashion Journal team.  

We felt it was time and apparently, so did you. Research from eBay Australia released earlier this year found that pre-loved fashion is a dominant trend in our country’s style landscape, with 70 per cent of Australians surveyed owning a pre-loved fashion item* and nine in ten (87 per cent) likely to buy the same or more pre-loved fashion items in the future.* Two in five (40 per cent) Australians surveyed say they now try to buy most of their clothes pre-loved* and as more and more clothing is added to the excess of clothing in circulation, we can only expect this number to grow. 

Even those of us who have been a little slower to adopt the pre-loved mindset are coming to embrace it. Pre-loved doesn’t always mean well-loved, often you’ll find items BNWT (shorthand for brand new with tags), an acronym that’s often used in my eBay searches. Designers are now embracing circular models, thinking about the lifespan of their garments beyond their first owner and encouraging consumers to rehome their pieces to someone else who will love them too. 

At Fashion Journal, this marks a shift for us as we lean even more into the world of pre-loved fashion and we’re hugely grateful to eBay Australia for working with us to bring this project to life. Expect a wealth of perspectives from editors, writers, stylists and contributors. Get ready as we break down the emotional attachments we create with our wardrobes, deliver the inside word on best practices for selling online, share our favourite pre-loved finds and encourage you to develop your own circular wardrobe through expert advice and anecdotes.  

We have dozens of stories in the pipeline and we can’t wait to share them with you. Head here to start browsing. We hope you’re as excited about this as we are. 

To start building your pre-loved fashion wardrobe, head to eBay. 

*Data from YouGov research commissioned by eBay Australia surveying 1,042 Australians 16+ in April 2024, Kantar research commissioned by eBay Australia surveying 3,001 Australians 18+ in December 2023 and Kantar research commissioned by eBay Australia surveying 3,001 Australians 18+ in December 2023.