Brands Becoming Resale Gatekeepers

Brands are increasingly operating their own second‑hand channels (e.g., Steve Madden and Pacsun in 2026) and nearly three in ten Americans say they'd consider buying used clothes through a brand's resale service. Survey data also show income splits in where people shop second‑hand and which items they're willing to buy used, with everyday items most acceptable and designer/vintage preferred by higher incomes. — If brands supplant independent thrift and marketplace channels they will reshape who benefits from the circular economy, how resale is regulated, and how class differences in access to quality used goods evolve.