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Often ignored in conversation about the booming resale industry is a long history of clothing thrifted by necessity, because of racism.
Three immaculately styled Black women graced the screen. Wearing reworked vintage pieces with “FUBU” and “Phat Farm” splashed across the front, they were posing together in a fashion photo shoot, their every move exuding flair and confidence.
In the background, the instrumental version of a Juvenile song began to play, prompting everyone in the know to prepare for the lyric “Cash Money Records taking over for the ’99 and the 2000s.” And in between shots, directing and arranging the set, was Shayla Janel Hill.
Ms. Hill owns Random and Chic, an online vintage shop in Houston. She is in the process of introducing the brand’s Y2K collection, which will pay homage to elite Black fashion brands of the early 2000s. For many Black fashion entrepreneurs and shoppers, the current resale boom is not just a trend, but also deeply rooted in their communities and shared history.
The resale industry is expected to be worth $51 billion by 2023, and is growing much faster than traditional retail. Though platforms like eBay, Farfetch, Poshmark and Tradesy dominate resale e-commerce, many independent sellers are creating their own sites or Etsy shops and marketing on social media. The internet has presented new opportunities for Black-owned shops, which are often overlooked and underrepresented in the national conversation regarding the resale industry.
“I realize the power of representation, and what that looks like in the vintage realm,” Ms. Hill said. “Black women are truly a minority in this niche, although there are tons of Black women who love to thrift, and who love fashion. I mean, we’re the tastemakers.”
“I credit my success to Black women,” she added. “I think style is so innate for us, and for years, I didn’t understand it as a gift that’s embedded in my DNA. So a lot of people don’t see it as a valuable asset, and meanwhile over here at such-and-such fashion publication, they’re paying someone thousands of dollars to basically copy what they see us doing.”
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