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The fashion industry used to treat excess clothing like cursed goods. Some luxury houses assembled rip-roaring bonfires, using leftover stock as multi-million dollar tinder. But thanks to environmentally conscious shoppers—and their appreciation for old(er) clothing—that thinking is changing. Gucci, which is known for taking designer Alessandro Michele’s interest in the old—ancient palazzos, centuries-old portraiture, and flea-market treasures—and turning out something fantastically new, is launching a partnership with TheRealReal to resell its own secondhand (“pre-loved,” in TRR parlance) items on the platform and encourage others to do the same.
The partnership between will incentivize people to resell their Gucci wares by promising to plant a tree for every consigned item—and, notably, will also form a direct channel between the house and the secondary market on which its goods have long been traded without a cent winding up in the Gucci pocket. So Gucci itself will move items—including, for instance, the ones used in the photoshoot and campaign for this very partnership—directly through TheRealReal.
What we’re witnessing is a radical shift in the way shoppers and brands think about pre-owned clothing. Like the drop model, which has been heavily adopted by the upper crust of the fashion world, official resale is just another cue luxury labels have taken from streetwear (Here they’ve even gone one step further by owning how items move through the secondary market). Resale heavy-hitters like Supreme and Nike are proof that having clothing move on the secondary market can be a good thing rather than a black eye. Seeing old Jordans sell well only makes people want them more. “The smart brands—the bold and the early adopters—see that having a resale value for your item only encourages somebody to purchase it in the primary market,” says Allison Sommer, TheRealReal’s senior director of strategic initiatives. Sommer points out that officially standing behind used clothing also makes a loud statement about the quality of clothes they produce: there will be so much demand for your just-purchased Gucci product down the line, the project implies, that you’ll only be its first owner.
Even if other luxury brands aren’t announcing these efforts as proudly as Gucci, many are moving in the same direction. In addition to TheRealReal’s two existing partners—Burberry and Stella McCartney—brands like A.P.C. and Patagonia have hosted programs that encourage people to send their used clothing back to be repaired and resold to a new loving home. The H&M-owned COS as well as department stores Selfridges and Nordstrom have all launched programs centered around secondhand clothes this year. Incidentally, Levi’s also launched a buyback and resale program Monday. Since TheRealReal’s founding in 2011, it has kept a backchannel open for brands to anonymously sell samples or excess stock through. Sommer says requests to form this type of partnership are up 20 times this year compared to last.
Many of these brands are intensifying their push toward official resale because of the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus has awakened a new sort of consciousness among shoppers, who are more interested than ever to know how the clothing they buy affects the environment and the people responsible for designing, producing, and even shipping those items. TheRealReal relays that in a survey of customers, 50% reported that environmental concerns motivated them to consign. Additionally, a third of customers responded that they buy used clothing to avoid frequenting fast-fashion brands. Embracing resale is a way of tacitly endorsing a smarter and more environmentally friendly way of shopping.
If Gucci’s partnership with TheRealReal succeeds, it will be because of what’s selling on the platform. While Michele’s graphic-heavy floral, serpentine, and Donald Duck-starring items garner the bulk of the hype, the brand’s iconic pieces are TheRealReal’s biggest hits. In 2020, the best-selling pieces from the brand on TRR include its classic double-G leather belt and iconic horsebit loafers. In other words: legendary pieces that are virtually immune to the ebbs and flows of fashion. It’s more proof that sustainable fashion isn’t just about upcycled clothing, recyclable materials, or partnerships with resale platforms—it’s about great design.