What’s more, it’s community driven -old becomes new and new becomes old when our members actively participate. executive, who got an “up close look at the realities of mass clothing manufacturing.” Caylor told YPulse in 2018 that their “closed-loop system is also unique, in that upcycling the material from returned tees to make new product. ” The “swap system” was created by founder and CEO Kristy Caylor, a former Gap Inc. Because of this, For Days has dubbed itself “ the first zero-waste, closed loop clothing company. Since textile waste is a major problem in the U.S., clothing brand For Days, which sells basic staples like t-shirts and sweats, created an initiative “with a twist.” Once customers purchase something from the brand, they can later send it back and buy something else from the brand at a discounted price. The initiative is also hoping to “ in a number of brand-new customers.” Last week, we told you how Netflix’s Emily in Paris has helped colorful handbags go viral -and the newly launched Farfetch Second Life program could just be the thing to help young shoppers easily find the ones they want at affordable prices.įarfetch isn’t the only brand offering rewards or credits for customers who bring back used clothes. and the U.S., Farfetch is allowing customers to trade in their high-end bags in exchange for credit to shop new collections on the site-mirroring the “one-in, one-out approach” many shoppers have already grown accustomed to. According to the company, when upscale designers reintroduce pastel styles in their collections (like a Dior saddle bag or a Fendi baguette), Farfetch sees an “increased demand for the pre-owned versions of those items.” Through their Second Life program in the U.K. According to Chief Commercial and Sustainability Officer Giorgio Belloli, it was “built on the premise of selling existing stock in small boutiques around the world -to better match supply and demand and reduce waste.” In November, it launched its latest pilot project Farfetch Second Life, which promised to merge the fields of resale and luxury together.
Online luxury fashion retail platform Farfetch, which was initially created to connect shoppers with “ far-flung boutiques ” like “London emporium of cool Browns to Amore” to the “vintage Chanel wonderland in Tokyo,” is one of the ecommerce sites that has worked to make pre-owned goods fashionable and desirable again. YPulse’s Luxury report found that 83% of 13-39-year-olds are interested in purchasing products designed by a luxury brand for an accessible retailer. Previously, we told you how Millennials’ secondhand shopping habits were starting to transform the luxury retail industry, and it made an even bigger impact last year. Now, a growing number of smaller brands and new startups are coming up with even more innovative ways to turn used clothing and accessories into born again products-and could serve as inspiration for big brands as well. continue to “send over 20 billion pounds of textiles to landfills each year.” The average American throws away 70 pounds of clothes every year, and even clothes that have been donated sometimes still end up in landfills.
However, even with the influx of more young consumers shopping secondhand, the EPA still reports that clothing and other textiles make up 5% of landfill as consumers in the U.S. YPulse’s fashion research shows that 29% of young females have bought clothing from a resale site or app.Īs the trend has grown, bigger fashion retailers have been getting serious about sustainability, with many partnering with secondhand marketplaces or launching their own.
A Poshmark study from last year found that young consumers were filling up their closets with used clothing: 16.5% of Gen Z closets are made up of second items, while Millennials are close behind at 12.5%. Resale sites and apps like Poshmark, ThredUp, Grailed, Vestiaire Collective, and Depop all saw massive surges in traffic increase during lockdowns. Secondhand shopping has become especially popular among young shoppers, a trend that YPulse has been tracking for some time. One industry that has seen the clear impact of young consumers’ interest in eco-friendly shopping is fashion retail. Gen Z and Millennials have shown that they’re fans of secondhand shopping, and these brands are coming up with innovative ways to recycle used clothing and accessories…Ĭlimate change still as important as ever to Gen Z and Millennials, and 42% tell YPulse that they have changed the products that they buy because of climate change.