eBay Continues To Fly The Flag For Sustainable Fashion
In a fashion sphere where ‘greenwashing’ is one of the most commonly heard expressions heard when discussing the very valuable and time-sensitive topic of fashion's impact on our dying planet, it is a rare relief and reassurance to spot a major player in the secondhand industry flying the flag for change with integrity with their latest collaborative announcement.
Flashback to early 2022 and online pre-owned retail giant eBay announced they were joining forces with ITV2 to sponsor the UK’s most anticipated Summer television event - Love Island. The choice from one of the largest broadcasters in the country was a swap from their usual fast fashion alternative, the likes of Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing. “As one of the original homes of pre-loved, we believe that by joining forces with this incredibly influential programme, we’ll inspire the nation to think differently and make more conscious choices when it comes to their wardrobes,” said Eve Williams, Chief Marketing Officer at eBay UK.
The partnership was nothing short of a roaring success. After a mere two weeks after that season of the explosive series ended, eBay announced contestant Tasha Ghouri as the platform’s first-ever pre-loved ambassador. Commenting on the association, eBay’s Head of Fashion, Jemma Tadd said, “Over the past 8 weeks, we’ve seen Islanders embrace pre-loved for the first time ever on mainstream TV, showing that simple additions or swaps to outfits can make all the difference - in so many ways.
In fact, 2022 was quite the year for eBay’s push for a more sustainable fashion industry as they launched their Circular Fashion Innovation Fund in connection with the British Fashion Council to aid the promotion of a more circular fashion economy and to provide opportunities for businesses in this realm. Successful applicants to the fund will receive up to £25,000 in funding, bespoke mentoring and chances to network.
In their latest sustainability conquest, eBay has revealed they are teaming up with one of journalism's biggest players, partnering up with Vogue on their Forces for Change initiative, spotlighting the strides that are being made when it comes to sustainable fashion. “What we have really spent a lot of time doing over the last few years is trying to create a behavioural change with consumers, and also within the industry, [to] extend the life of products,” says Kirsty Keoghan, eBay UK’s general manager of global fashion. “We’ve tried to make buying pre-loved something that’s much more mainstream and doesn’t have some of the same stigmas attached that it might have done in years gone by.”
