Second-hand clothes shops in Slovenia: The contemporary situation in its (a)historical perspective

Abstract

This article contradicts Slovenian public opinion that asserts there is no tradition of second-hand clothes stores in Slovenia. It briefly demonstrates that second-hand retail clothing has a long history in the country that was interrupted for a few decades following the 1960s. In addition, the article reflects upon the question of why "socialist mentality" or more precisely, a "specifically Slovenian socialist mentality" is publicly perceived as the main reason for the contemporary lack of such a retail sector. According to the author, it is not unimportant that such mentality is most often ascribed to marginal and lower social strata who supposedly link second-hand clothes with poverty, thus sustaining their premodern ("socialist") notions. However, public perceptions of the modernization process can only primarily hide contemporary social differences.