Yano Research Institute has released a new survey: Japan's domestic fashion reuse market retail value is estimated at ¥1.41 trillion in 2025, up 10.2% year on year; in 2026 it is projected to reach ¥1.53 trillion, up 8.5% year on year, with the market expected to continue expanding.

Key points

  • Japan's fashion secondhand market is estimated at ¥1.41 trillion in 2025 (110.2% YoY) and projected at ¥1.53 trillion in 2026 (108.5% YoY), both based on retail sales value.
  • In June 2024, the Japanese government formulated the "Roadmap for Resource Circulation of Textile Products," which sets targets including a 25% reduction in household-discarded clothing by FY2030 compared with FY2020.
  • The survey covers apparel, bags, footwear, jewelry and precious metals, watches, kimonos and other categories; it excludes home appliances, mobile phones, etc., and the scope excludes CtoC platform fees.

Changes in consumer behavior drive growth

Rising prices and heavier social insurance burdens are strengthening Japanese consumers' willingness to re-examine their daily spending. As they cut back on clothing expenditure, secondhand clothing—priced below new items while still in good condition—has become an option for value-conscious consumers.

At the same time, consumers are both buyers and sellers. The motivation to sell idle items through consumer-to-consumer (CtoC) platforms to supplement income is becoming more active; an increase in individual sellers drives up circulation volume, and a richer variety of categories further attracts buyers, creating a virtuous cycle on both the buying and selling sides.

BtoBtoC and in-store experience are highlights

A common model is purchasing secondhand clothing directly from specialized companies and selling it in one's own vintage shops. The number of vintage shops whose main business is reselling items from individuals through specialized companies to individuals (CtoBtoC) is also on the rise. Because vintage clothing emphasizes unique one-off pieces, consumers visiting stores in person and actually touching the products allows them to obtain more information from staff and the products themselves—a key point of differentiation from CtoC. How to enhance the value of the in-store experience so that consumers are willing to return has become a management priority.

Policy targets underpin market expansion

Textile products emit large amounts of greenhouse gases across raw material procurement, manufacturing, use and disposal, and also involve environmental burdens such as chemical use, water consumption and synthetic fiber microplastics entering the ocean. For the industry to move toward sustainable development, it must break away from the mass production, mass consumption and mass disposal model and shift to a circular economy.

The Japanese government is discussing directional issues for building a resource circulation system for textile products and formulated the "Roadmap for Resource Circulation of Textile Products" in June 2024. This roadmap and the Fifth Basic Plan for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society, approved by the Cabinet in August 2024, set targets such as "a 25% reduction by FY2030, compared with FY2020, in the amount of household-discarded clothing that is treated as waste." To achieve these targets, promoting secondhand reuse is expected to receive policy support, which will help sustain the expansion of Japan's fashion secondhand market.

In this survey, the fashion secondhand market covers apparel (men's wear, women's wear, infant and children's clothing), fashion accessories (bags, leather goods, footwear, ties, etc.), precious jewelry, watches, kimonos and Japanese clothing, and other categories (outdoor, imported brands, etc.); it excludes general home appliances, smartphones, old coins, musical instruments, etc. Market size is calculated on a retail value basis and excludes sales fees charged by internet CtoC intermediary platforms. Exports

Source: Survey on the Fashion Reuse Market (2026) | News & Topics | Market Research and Marketing, Yano Research Institute · Originally published 2026-10-13