The question of what holds Europe together has no clean answer, which is precisely why it keeps being asked. Economic integration explains the structure. NATO explains the security architecture. But neither explains why people in Lisbon and Tallinn — sharing no language, no climate, no cuisine, no living memory of each other — can nonetheless recognize something common between them. European identity is not a legal category. It cannot be conferred by passport or treaty.

The rise of secondhand style represents a move away from passive consumption and toward active curation. In a traditional retail environment, the consumer is the final stop in a top-down supply chain; you choose from a curated set of options designed to appeal to the broadest possible demographic. This results in the “polished sameness” of the modern high street, where trends move so fast they become indistinguishable. Secondhand shopping inverts this power dynamic.