The fashion resale market in Japan is experiencing robust growth, driven by evolving consumer attitudes toward sustainability and the increasing appeal of unique, vintage and luxury items.
Cultural acceptance of secondhand goods is rising in the market, particularly among younger consumers who see pre-owned items as a way to express themselves while being eco-conscious. Secondly, the affordability of resale items has become attractive amid rising costs of living, especially for high-quality or luxury brands. Compared to other markets, luxury resale in Japan is better known for high-quality, authentic luxury goods.
Brands are among the companies taking note. Japanese brand Uniqlo tested selling second-hand in a Harajuku, Tokyo pop-up in December 2023. And since March, it’s been rolling out a small line of second-hand goods to stores in Japan.
Other prominent local brands offering resale in Japan include BEAMS with its “BEAMS Re:Style” platform and United Arrows with its refurbished high-end goods offering. Shopping marketplaces like Mercari and Rakuten are among the locally operating digital channels offering resale. And traditional Japanese clothing retailers like Shimamura are also adopting resale initiatives.
For its part, luxury resale wholesaler LePrix, which sources its inventory from brands, established its first office in Japan this April. For the U.S.-based company, the move marked a strategic step toward scaling its operations and enhancing efficiencies within the region. Since its launch in 2014, U.S.-based LePrix has achieved over $100 million in sales, with an average annual customer growth rate of 56%. The expansion allows the company to collaborate more closely with some of Japan’s most prominent second-hand luxury vendors. LePrix’s top sales markets currently include the U.S. and Europe.
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“We were one of the first players to bring the Japanese auction houses to the dot-com space and offer those inventories to the U.S. market,” said Mike Forrest, COO at LePrix. “As we’ve scaled over the years, Japan has consistently been one of our strategic supply sources.”
According to industry experts, there is a growing expectation that Western brands will begin to expand their resale operations to Japan, driven by the success of local brands and the market’s maturity. According to a 2023 report by ThredUp, the global secondhand market is expected to reach $64 billion by 2024, with significant growth coming from the Asia-Pacific region.
