The RealReal 2025 Resale Report

5.13.25

Driven by consumer preferences for affordable and sustainable fashion, the luxury resale market is still growing. As of 2025, resale accounted for 10% of the global apparel market. At The RealReal, we stay on top of industry trends, consumer preferences, and other trends to guide your shopping experience. Here are the highlights of the 2025 Resale Report from The RealReal.

A Focus on Circularity

In reality, the average customer wears an item only seven times before getting rid of it. Our report explores how this behavior has changed fashion and how luxury resale can combat the problem of textile waste.

For example, in 1975, only 30% of textiles produced globally were synthetic. In 2024, that number grew to 69% and is projected to reach 73% by 2030. Luxury resale sites, including The RealReal, let you pass your non-biodegradable outfits on to someone else, which keeps them out of the landfill.

What Is the Circular Economy?

The circular economy is a way to produce and consume goods in a more mindful way to reduce waste and raw materials. Instead of buying something new every time you shop, you share, lease, reuse, repair, refurbish, and recycle existing products. Luxury resale fits perfectly into the circular economy, because customers can buy something new to them without the company having to produce it from scratch.

Resale keeps items in circulation much longer. For example, if the average person wears something seven times before sending it to the landfill, it’ll be in circulation for a few months. On the other hand, if a person wears something seven times and consigns it, the next person can wear it seven times and consign it again. Depending on the product’s quality and how well each owner cares for it, an item can potentially stay in circulation for multiple years before it ends up in the landfill.

People who consign with TheRealReal contribute a wide selection of vintage merchandise that is still in excellent condition. We have seen Versace jackets from the 1990s that look as good as the day they rolled out of the atelier.

How The RealReal Fits In

Since 2011, The RealReal has played a key role in circular fashion. We love fashion and believe people can express their personal style without negatively impacting the planet. Our team offers high-quality, authentic resale pieces at affordable prices.

Millions of people who shop and consign with us have given their items a second, third, and fourth life. Each consignment piece we offer decreases a shopper’s chances of buying a newly-made item by 33%.

Circular Fashion in 2025

As brands and customers alike have shown interest in sustainability, designers are making better quality clothing that lasts longer. Consumers are increasingly relying on luxury resale as they aim for conscious consumption. Luxury resale has emerged as a viable option for people who want high-quality merchandise that lasts without having to pay retail prices. Consignment customers are also more aware of how items hold value and their potential for resale later on.

Trends Impacting Luxury Resale in 2025

We have been paying attention to customer preferences and noted these trends shaping luxury resale.

Individuality

Today’s shopper is interested in using fashion to express their personal style. Customers are less concerned with passing fads and prefer unique items they can add to their wardrobes with ease. In fashion, everything old eventually becomes new again. A trip to the mall in 2025 transports anyone who graduated from high school in the 2000s back to their old closet.

Luxury clothing from that era was made to last. Shopping for authentic pieces from Tom Ford in the first years of his brand or early Donatella Versace gives resale shoppers access to one-of-a-kind pieces that are easy to elevate to modern aesthetics with the right accessories.

Shoppers would rather splurge on a few special luxury pieces than fill their closets with piles of fast fashion that anyone can wear.

Playing Favorites

Even with a mountain of clothing at their fingertips, most people tend to wear the same items consistently. On average, a person with 200 pieces of clothing wears 36 of them. Luxury resale connects new people to those “old,” unwanted items.

The RealReal has seen a 150% increase in membership over the last five years, and we specialize in helping our customers find those standout pieces that would’ve otherwise ended up in a landfill. Since 2011, we have kept 40 million items in circulation as people shop and consign with us. This equates to nearly 86,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases.

Eyeing “Dead” Brands

The term “dead brand” refers to a brand that is either no longer operating or has significantly reduced its operations. In 2025, The RealReal customers gravitate toward brands because they get something unique that others are unlikely to have. Popular dead brands on our site include Claude Montana and Sies Marjan.

In the fashion industry as a whole, customers still hunt down merch from United Colors of Benetton, Espirit, and Versus by Versace. These items often feature colors, cuts, and patterns that are hard to find in modern fashion. Consumers can mix these pieces with modern wardrobe staples, mixing silhouettes and patterns for an edgy look that is all their own.

Although legacy brands such as Bottega Veneta and Prada aren’t likely to die anytime soon, they do see changes in leadership from time to time. As the creative vision of a company changes hands, customers are often interested in buying items from old collections, such as Matthieu Blazy’s 2023 collections for Bottega Veneta.

Investing in Pieces

Resale luxury also gives shoppers access to investment pieces that might not otherwise fit their budget. Choosing items from brands that hold their value gives shoppers the chance to resell the item once they’re done using it. Brands that hold their value well in 2025 include:

Louis Vuitton
Hermes
The Row
Prada
Loewe

Luxury resale is also a great resource for fine jewelry, handbags, accessories, and other statement items that may otherwise be out of reach. Shoppers can find popular, signature pieces from brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels or Cartier.

The RealReal’s Commitment to Sustainability

The RealReal’s founders understood how the circular economy contributes to sustainability at the company’s initial inception. Our mission is to extend the lifecycle of luxury. We support other climate-friendly businesses such as GreenFi, a climate-friendly banking alternative, as part of its Green Marketplace Program.

We are also proud to influence the next generation of designers. One component of the circular economy involves repurposing existing merchandise. Fashion generates a lot of deadstock, which is merchandise that doesn’t sell. We partnered with the Fashion Institute of Technology to challenge students to upcycle deadstock. Our customers can buy the resulting looks. We also hope to inspire them to buy an item they may not have considered and alter it to their tastes.

The RealReal also introduced our “As Is” category. These items have significant wear and tear and might need some extra TLC before they’re street-ready. For consignment shoppers looking for a bargain, the “as-is” category offers a unique opportunity to save money on luxury fashion while making a piece that is truly their own.

Connecting consignment shoppers with previously loved pieces isn’t the only way The RealReal is contributing to the circular economy. Fashion brands have recognized a need to break down textile waste and reuse it more effectively to make new products. The RealReal recycles unsellable items and confiscated fakes through a partnership with SuperCircle. This company upcycles some textiles by repurposing them into new fabrics. Other items are downcycled. For example, a piece of clothing may be downcycled into dishrags or insulation. This recycling method keeps textiles out of landfills and reduces the water and energy waste associated with producing new textiles.

The Future of Circular Luxury

Fashion consumers and brands alike continue to adapt to changing trends and conditions, including circular luxury. As the concept gains traction, brands are finding ways to create higher-quality clothing and accessories that withstand wear and tear and stay in circulation longer.

Brands are also interested in emerging textiles. Some brands are switching from traditional synthetics to biodegradable and regenerative fabrics such as Bananatex® and BioFluff. They are also taking nylon waste out of oceans and landfills and using it to make new textiles, which reduces the need for virgin nylon made from petrochemicals.

Make Your Fashion Circular With The RealReal

The RealReal is your go-to resource for participating in the circular economy. Our website features thousands of authenticated, quality, luxury merchandise, including men’s and women’s clothing, jewelry, handbags, and accessories. Our platform makes it easy to find pieces that speak to you at wallet-friendly prices. After you’ve worn your new favorites seven times, reconsign them with us.

Simply sign up and send us photos of your consignment pieces. Schedule a pickup, drop your pieces off at one of our stores, or ship them to us. We will authenticate your pieces and handle the posting, marketing, and selling. You can receive cash or site credits to find new closet staples.

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