Secondhand Fashion in Copenhagen: Market, Trends & Consumer Behaviour

Copenhagen: The world of secondhand fashion is cool!

Field Research · Copenhagen · September 2026
By Andréia Oliveira, Trend Forecaster

Copenhagen is an innovative, vibrant city deeply committed to environmental issues. But what interests me most is how often it goes beyond mere talk of sustainability, seeking ways to improve the systems around it including how fashion can become more accessible and how people can engage with it on their own terms.
Living here makes it relatively easy to experience fashion while questioning the way we consume it. Thrift stores, flea markets, resale platforms, and the circulation of clothing are already part of daily life. However, access alone doesn’t change our relationship with consumption; there also needs to be an individual willingness to experience fashion differently.
I talk about my own journey in the video ( Youtube ): how I began to rethink my relationship with consumption and, ultimately, stopped impulse-buying fashion.
Today, I work with trends without feeling the need to own every single one I research.
As a trend forecaster, I need to understand what’s new, aesthetics, emerging behaviours, cultural shifts, and evolving consumer desires. But understanding what is new doesn’t necessarily mean consuming it.
That’s where my research into secondhand fashion becomes particularly important.
I believe circular fashion can be desirable not only because it offers an alternative to buying new items, but because existing garments can become relevant again when presented to the right consumer at the right time.

Timing matters.

A garment that feels irrelevant today may become desirable again as silhouettes, styling, cultural references and consumer attitudes change.

This idea is central to my approach to Trend-Led Secondhand Curation: using trend research and consumer behaviour to understand not only what is becoming desirable, but how garments that already exist can re-enter the fashion conversation at the right time.

And Copenhagen offers an extraordinary field in which to observe this happening.

An Ongoing Research Archive

I have been writing about Copenhagen’s secondhand ecosystem for quite some time. It has become one of the recurring themes in my research, something I study, advocate for and experience in my own relationship with fashion.

In my newsletter archive, you can follow different sides of this ongoing research.

In “Rethinking Consumption: When Waste Becomes Value”, I explore Copenhagen initiatives that question how we deal with waste and how something discarded can regain value.

In “Circular Fashion in Copenhagen: What a Clothing Swap Reveals About Consumer Behaviour”, I look at what happens when we move circular fashion from theory into practice, using a clothing swap as a field observation of consumer behaviour.

In “Secondhand Fashion and Consumer Behaviour: What Copenhagen Reveals About Clothing Circulation”, I write about trust-based selling — including clothes being sold on Copenhagen streets with no seller present — and what these small everyday practices reveal about trust, circulation and consumption.

And in “How to Reduce Clothing Consumption: What I Learned From Six Months Without Buying Clothes”, I share my own experience of changing my consumption habits and what I learned from spending six months without buying clothes.

These are only some of the stories in a growing archive documenting circular fashion as it happens in Copenhagen.

If this is a subject you are interested in too, you can subscribe to my newsletter for more field observations, research and insights into secondhand fashion, consumer behaviour and Copenhagen’s circular-fashion ecosystem.

Key Findings from the Field:

• Secondhand as an experience: In Copenhagen, secondhand fashion can operate as a social and cultural experience, not only as a retail transaction.
• Community around clothing circulation: Veras Market combines secondhand fashion with food, music, leisure and social interaction.
• Shoulder bags: A strong local fashion signal I continue to observe among young women in Copenhagen.
• Newsboy / baker boy caps: An early street-style signal currently appearing in my observations.
• 90s-inspired outerwear: Jackets and faux-leather styles are particularly relevant as Copenhagen moves into transitional-season dressing.
• Looking towards 2027: Intense yellow, terracotta tones and metallics are among the colour directions emerging through my wider street-style and trend research.

Field observation: The Veras market

Veras has been holding its second-hand market under the Bispeengbuen since 2016 (Bispeengen 20, 2000 Frederiksberg), transforming the space beneath a large viaduct into a recurring gathering spot for the circulation of clothing.
And I love the fact that it takes place under a bridge.
In many cities I’ve visited, the space under a bridge can feel abandoned, neglected, or unsafe. Here, that same type of urban space becomes a place where people actually want to spend time. That is what makes Copenhagen particularly interesting to me.
The day I visited, the market was packed. Clothes, bags, and shoes filled the space, with people browsing the racks in search of their next second-hand find.
But it wasn’t just about buying clothes.

There was coffee, baked goods, drinks, and music. There were places to stop, eat, and hang out with friends. The atmosphere was youthful, sociable, and vibrant.
There’s even a sauna under that bridge perfect!

This is one of those events worth adding to your list if you want to experience circular fashion in Copenhagen, discover more of the city’s vibrant secondhand scene, feel its energy, and find pieces ready for a new story.

The secondhand market transforms into an experience.

People browse the racks, socialize, eat, listen to music, and hunt for clothes while children play all at the same time. The atmosphere helps make the circulation of clothing something pleasant, contemporary, and desirable.

To me, Veras Market is an interesting example of how Copenhagen manages to turn the circulation of clothing into something social, accessible, and culturally relevant while simultaneously giving a completely new purpose to a piece of urban infrastructure. It is a great example not only regarding clothing but also regarding the use of public space and people engaging with fashion in a purposeful way whether as a venue for resale, a place to showcase a brand, or simply a spot to shop and enjoy the experience.

Trend-Led SecondHand Curation: signals observed at Veras Market

Trend-Led SecondHand Curation is the methodology I developed to apply trend forecasting and consumer behaviour research within the secondhand market.

I leverage emerging signals from fashion and culture to identify how existing garments and accessories can regain their appeal when they surface at the right moment.
During my visit to Veras Market, I identified several pieces that directly connect to signals I have been tracking through street style observation and fashion research.

The Newsboy Cap Is Emerging Again

One of the early signals I am currently watching on the streets is the return of the newsboy cap, also known as the baker boy cap.

It is still an emerging signal rather than something I would describe as fully mainstream, which makes finding these pieces in the secondhand market particularly interesting.

Shoulder Bags Are a Strong Local Youth Signal

Shoulder bags continue to be a particularly strong local signal among young women in Copenhagen, including as part of everyday school looks.

Veras Market had plenty of options, showing how secondhand can respond to an aesthetic that is already visible in local everyday style without requiring a newly produced item.

90s-style jackets and faux leather pieces for the transitional season

As Copenhagen transitions to transitional-season dressing, 90s-inspired jackets and faux leather outerwear are taking center stage.
These jackets are already standing out in outfits.

Statement Accessories via Upcycling
I also identified opportunities involving ties, necklaces, brooches, and statement accessories created through upcycling.
Ties transformed into accessories incorporating repurposed necklaces and the creative use of brooches demonstrate how existing items can be reinterpreted rather than replaced. The second-hand market is particularly interesting in this context, as it offers the chance to find unique and unusual pieces.

Looking Ahead: Colour Signals for 2027

My current street-style research is also pointing towards intense yellow, alongside terracotta tones and metallics, as colour directions worth watching towards 2027.

The interesting part of applying trend forecasting to secondhand is that we do not have to wait for these colours to appear in newly produced collections. Relevant pieces may already exist.

Secondhand markets can therefore become places to identify garments and accessories that align with an emerging direction before buying new.

You can explore my 2027 Fashion Trend Forecast for more of the signals I am currently tracking.

Circular fashion gains momentum when we share; please share this snippet of my research on circular fashion and trends in Copenhagen.
And if you’d like to follow along further, subscribe to my newsletter to receive updates on field research, trend signals, and insights into Copenhagen’s fashion and secondhand scene.

Thank You!

About the Author

Andréia Oliveira is a Copenhagen-based Trend Forecaster and Costume Designer.

Through field research and cultural observation, she translates emerging signals into insights for brands and creative projects, while applying research on clothing, identity and behaviour to character development and costume design.

Frequently Asked Questions
What is the secondhand fashion scene like in Copenhagen?
Copenhagen boasts a vibrant second-hand fashion ecosystem that includes vintage shops, charity stores, flea markets, resale platforms, and community initiatives. My fieldwork focuses on how these spaces intersect with fashion trends, consumer behaviour, and the circulation of clothing.

What is the Veras Market Under Buen?
Veras Market Under Buen is a recurring second-hand market held beneath the Bispeengbuen viaduct in Copenhagen. Beyond the buying and selling of clothes, the market combines fashion with food, music, and social activities, transforming the purchase of second-hand items into part of a broader cultural experience.

How can trend forecasting be applied to second-hand fashion?
Trend forecasting can help identify when existing garments, colors, silhouettes, and accessories are regaining cultural relevance. This relationship between timing, consumer behavior, and existing clothing is one of the approaches within my methodology for trend-driven second-hand curation.

Have more questions? Explore the TrendWatch Studio FAQ

Continue exploring:

• Consumer Behaviour →I develop educational content that makes circular fashion more accessible to both everyday consumers and industry professionals. 
• Circular Fashion Education → Extending the life of garments through research and curation.
• Trend-Led Secondhand Curation →I developed my methodology to apply trend forecasting and consumer behaviour research to the secondhand market.
• Field Notes→ Exploring fashion, consumer behaviour, circularity and cultural change through field research and market observation.