Second-hand clothing has become a trend of late within itself. Consequently, many college students want to shop more sustainably, wear more unique clothes and save some money when shopping. Vinted, the well-known second-hand fashion app, was finally launched in Ireland on 12th November 2024. Many people living in Ireland who have any interest in second-hand shopping already knew of its existence and had been waiting for years for it to be released here.
Vinted is big news. According to the French Fashion Institute (IFM), in May 2025, Vinted became the number one retailer in France based on fashion sales volume, surpassing fast-fashion brands like Shein, H&M, Amazon and many more. The second-hand fashion app has truly taken Ireland by storm since its arrival here. There are many high-volume users of Vinted, with many people buying clothes and shipping out parcels daily. According to Vinted, the app has millions of users, who are spread across over 20 countries, and it is continuing to grow.
The app is particularly useful for college students. It is the perfect place for young people who are looking to upgrade their wardrobe and to enhance their personal style, people who are looking for good prices and good quality. As we know, college life can be expensive, especially for students who are in the city centre every day and who are paying over a fiver for a coffee! With Vinted, students have access to essentially affordable clothing that isn’t from the likes of Shein. Additionally, second-hand clothing is often cheaper than buying fast-fashion clothing. On Vinted, for example, you are likely to find a genuine leather jacket for less than €30. Conversely, you are likely to find a polyester ‘leather’ jacket from a fast-fashion brand for double the price. Vinted is a great way to shop sustainably and cheaply.
At college, you can truly express yourself through your own sense of style. There are no more school uniforms holding you back, no more teachers telling you to take out your piercings or take off your hat or pull up your socks! Every day can be a personal fashion show if you want it to be. Vinted allows students to find their own personal sense of fashion, free from the confines of the microtrends that are seen all over social media. Vintage and second-hand clothes can be spotted all over the Trinity campus. You are bound to see fur coats, discontinued styles of shoes, grandads’ leather jackets, vintage designer bags and more. All of these items can be found on Vinted (if you look hard enough).
I have been using Vinted since it came to Ireland. I would class myself as a high-volume user! It does take a while to curate your algorithm to suit your style. The best way to do this is to ‘favourite’ any items that you like. Once you begin adding pieces to your favourites, the app pushes similar items onto your homepage. I have found the most amazing pieces, from leather boots to designer bags. I never would have thought I could find such beautiful pieces online. You can find stunning, rare clothes being sold by a stylish French granny who is trying to clear out her old wardrobe!
One concern with buying second-hand items: the issue arises of people reselling fast-fashion brands at a much higher price than the original price, and listing the brand as ‘vintage’. Many Shein items, which originally cost only a few euro, are being listed as ‘vintage’, and they are listed at ridiculous prices, in hopes that the Shein item will sell at an extortionate price. This is problematic, as Vinted is a place for people who want to find vintage or good-quality articles of clothing, pieces that are not from fast-fashion companies.
Sometimes the sellers hide this very well, but it is possible to spot them. When a seller labels an article of clothing as ‘No brand’ or ‘Cute’ or ‘Unknown’, it is likely that it is from Shein or from a similar source. However, this can be avoided by paying close attention to how the seller describes the item – and the brand under which they list it. Although there is nothing wrong with buying fast-fashion brands through second-hand selling, some people would prefer to steer clear of these brands altogether. If you still want to buy from fast-fashion brands but sustainably, Vinted is the place to go.
The rise of Vinted has created a larger space for second-hand selling to inhabit. Buying and selling second-hand is becoming more popular, therefore decreasing sales of fast-fashion companies. Vinted is a wonderful app that allows personal style to flourish, all while supporting second-hand shopping.
