Over the pandemic, consumers priorities shifted, with some starting to boycott E-commerce fast fashion brands and instead opt for sustainable and second hand fashion; garment resale app Depop saw a 300% increase in items sold. Sustainability has gone mainstream, with fast brands releasing “sustainable” lines, luxury brands such as Alexander McQueen offering resale, and legendary publications such as Vogue introducing articles with links to second hand items, such as those on Vestiaire Collective. We need to cut global emissions by 7% per year to limit the climate crisis, and one key way that this can be helped is by wearing clothes already in existence (Cole, 2022).
Love Island is renowned for its super-fast fashion sponsors. In 2018, the show doubled web traffic to then-sponsor Missguided and since then have been sponsored by PLT, I Saw It First, and Miss Pap; “It’s no secret that most contestants don’t care about the £50,000 prize money; they want the million pound brand deal that lies beyond the finish line” (Cole, 2022). However this year, LI have decided to recouple with a different sponsor; eBay. In 2021, eBay helped 17,770 tons of clothes find new homes and sold one item of second-hand clothing for every second of 2022 (McFarlane, 2022). As said best by Letty Cole in an article for The Face, “It makes sense that Love Island would want to move onto greener pastures (and safeguard its ever-precarious PR reputation)” (Cole, 2022).
Brett Staniland (2021 LI Contestant, Model and Sustainable Fashion Advocate) was interviewed on the podcast Can Fast Fashion Slow Down? by The Overview. In previous years, Islanders were given £500 credit towards the current LI sponsor before arriving alongside regular clothing drops; “every three or four days you get a duffle bag full of clothes from show sponsors.” During his time in the villa, Brett overheard other male contestants expressing their concerns over outfit repeating, particularly in the evening (the most televised part). He went on to say that worn clothing was dumped at the back of the villa on the floor, to eventually be discarded in landfill; “It was staggering to see the level of waste” (Can Fast Fashion Slow Down?, 2022).
This year eBay partnered with celebrity stylist Amy Bannerman, who has styled the likes of Dua Lipa and has been sourcing clothes second hand for a long time. Bannerman’s aim with the Love Island wardrobe was to inspire consumers to ignore trend cycles and dress for themselves by adding “a couple of pre-loved pieces to their wardrobes,” or selling unwanted garments “to keep things in circulation” (Flook, 2022). Amy interviewed this year’s contestants in order to work out their personal styles before curating a wardrobe that consisted of both high end and high street vintage (reflecting most Gen Z wardrobes). Pieces range from Gucci to Kate Moss for Topshop, to show consumers that each piece is “uniquely valuable” and pieces to cherish (not dispose of). Bannerman also aimed for the contestants to “rewear the same denim Balmain dress or Ralph Lauren shirting over the duration of the show…to demonstrate how different genders and body types can style the same piece” (Newbold, 2022).
As the series has gone on eBay have been curating shoppable edits consisting of pieces similar to those seen on screen (Newbold, 2022), and now viewers can buy the exact outfits worn by islanders on the show, as eBay is holding an auction hosted by pre-loved seller Reskinned. Items start at 99p, and proceeds from the sales will be donated to charity. Jemma Tadd (head of fashion at eBay) stated that she was “thrilled to be giving fans a first-of-its-kind opportunity to shop the actual outfits worn by the Islanders,” and hopes that show fans will “be inspired to…put pre-loved fashion centre stage, just like the islanders” (Katsha, 2022). On BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour Natalie Binns (fashion buying and sustainability consultant) explained that this collaboration has been "going into the homes of normal people who may have never considered the impact of their clothing before” (McFarlane, 2022). Recently Bannerman mentioned on her Instagram that the preloved search is up by 700% on eBay. Arguably, a partnership with resale app Depop would’ve been more successful due to “greater audience alignment,” although I believe that the company wouldn’t associate themselves with Love Island due to different belief systems and brand archetypes.
Staniland feels positively about the implatations of the Love Island X eBay collaboration; “Even if it is performative, and they’ve paid the most money…they are still going to be raising the conversations about second hand clothing…it raises the profile of not buying new things which is great either way.” He also believes that it could have a knock on effect, and “set the tone for other big tv shows with big sponsors” (Can Fast Fashion Slow Down?, 2022). There is also the hope that influencers will be forced to keep up with this push towards more circularity in order to stay relevant. This would mean “a mass mindset shift: trading the immediate gratification of buying super-cheap new outfits for the satisfaction of finding the perfect pre-loved top or skirt after hours of trawling” (Cole, 2022).
One issue that I have found with Amy’s styling on Love Island is that although most of the pre-owned clothing sourced is high end, it still follows fast trends (e.g. tacky cut outs in dresses). Having said that, this may be down to the islander’s style preferences. Tasha Ghouri has debuted some more interesting pieces such as, a vintage Junior Gaultier red denim co-ord, a brown leather Diesel dress, and the iconic good vibrations body by House of Sunny (an Instagram famous, made to order sustainable business). It is also worth mentioning that most of the islanders are wearing their own bikinis from fast fashion brands such as PrettyLittleThing, Boux Avenue, and Chinese online retailer Shein (devastating fashion polluter valued at £82bn in April; Saunders, 2022). Understandably second hand bikinis are not very desirable (due to hygiene concerns), but Amy could have sourced the islanders’ swimwear from slow and circular brands such as SoSo Swim, Fisch, and Swim Society; owned by former LI contestant Montana Rose Brown and would have made an ideal match.
For the past two years I have bought almost all of my clothing second hand, believing that it was the simple solution to fixing the fashion industry. I supported small vintage resale businesses, and made sure not to buy pre-loved fast garments, or anything from sellers who were clearly overconsuming fashion. I saw myself as an inspiration to others, saving the planet one Depop purchase at a time! This month I started interning with RubyMoon, the world’s only not for profit circular swimwear and activewear brand. Having watched founder and CEO Jo’s video Stop Buying Second Hand from The Circle of Impact Masterclass (available on YouTube),I have realised that I was solely mistaken.
In the video, Jo explains that although clothing resale is “absolutely critical” to having an eco-friendly wardrobe, “second hand clothing should only be part of a mix.” There is also the issue that many consumers have an insatiable appetite for clothing which will just continue through second hand clothing purchases; “it does not address their psychological addiction which also ramps up their consumption and promotes others to do the same, somehow making this addiction guilt free.” When purchasing garments second hand we must value and conserve them for a long time (especially if they are vintage), upcycle them if necessary and in their very end of life recycle them into circular reuse (Stop Buying Second Hand - Circle of Impact Masterclass Series, 2021). When there is the need to buy new clothing, we must commit to better made, higher quality purchases with recycled content where possible and designed for durability. We must support businesses where garments are made locally, “with preferably recycled textiles at least on the same continent and with living wage, not modern slavery when you buy from brands committed to the circular economy principles” (Stop Buying Second Hand - Circle of Impact Masterclass Series, 2021).
Over the pandemic, shopping addictions were rising due to boredom and targeted advertising on social media. Shopping has become a stress relieving activity, and with every purchase consumers receive a dopamine hit. There is also more incentive to buy products, as there is no instant financial commitment due to buy now, pay later systems (Williamson, 2018). When purchasing garments second hand we must value and conserve them for a long time (especially if they are vintage), upcycle them if necessary and in their very end of life recycle them into circular reuse (Stop Buying Second Hand - Circle of Impact Masterclass Series, 2021).
Clothing resale platforms are even worse, as there are game elements are introduced. For example, on eBay we must “win” items through bidding and feel a sense of accomplishment when we do. Online bidding also gives more of a sense of recklessness, as we lose sight of our budget and how much we actually want the item when we are impulsively raising our bids. On other apps such as Depop and Vinted, we are hunting for the best vintage gems, one-of-a-kind status symbols that no one else can own. The more that we “win,” the greedier we get. Shopping can a boredom killer, and can help to distract us from reality and numb our minds. Not to mention that virtual shopping baskets are weightless.
As said best by Aja Barber (Author and Slow Fashion Stylist); “when you can put cookies on someone’s computer…they look at an item, and then it follows them around the internet until they finally buy that item.” Aja also believes that we must start educating children from a young age about consumerism and social media. We must teach them to question their desire to buy items, and also about managing their money as currently, “it’s not a surprise” that predatory businesses are very good at “targeting young people…Debt should not be sold to us as aspirational” (Can Fast Fashion Slow Down?, 2022). The planet can’t sustain our current rate of production, and Aja went on to explain that big clothing businesses will not slow down until “we are really being confronted by the climate crisis,” and material shortages force them to. They will greenwash these changes as a sustainable effort, and even then its “far too late.” (Can Fast Fashion Slow Down?, 2022).
I agree with Aja, as I believe that education is crucial from a young age and new generations have the potential to save our planet. Although some of my peers are educated and are "concerned about our planet" it is rare that they actually make any changes to their consumption, and instead keep supporting fast fashion brands because “it is cheap” and they enjoying buying into fast trends. It is also devastating to me that when I have spoken to others about environmental issues caused by the fashion industry many have completely dismissed me. These people will not accept that our planet is in trouble until it is too late. Change will only happen if all companies adopt circular business models and ensure fair, local production.
More concerningly, the growing second hand market is in fact actually “fuelling the new clothes market mostly through fast fashion purchases that were made badly and in modern slavery conditions. So the cycle just goes on and on.” There is a massive fashion flipping trend among Gen Z and Millennial consumers on resale apps such as Depop, Vinted and Vestiaire Collective; “many individuals exploit their online popularity to make businesses out of reselling thrifted items at marked-up prices” (Nair, 2019). This is a problem, as this fast resell “makes it seem more financially viable to make a new purchases, but…actually diminishes our precious resources even further” (Stop Buying Second Hand - Circle of Impact Masterclass Series, 2021).
An argument has also been raised that buying items from charity shops may be “detrimental to lower income and immigrant communities who rely on low priced everyday necessities.” Resellers are coming in and taking all of the best stock, leaving people who really need the clothing with less quality clothing options. This is essentially gentrification, as resources are being taken from low income communities to be made popular and then sold to high income communities. This increase in resellers is causing an increase in second hand clothing prices, pushing people with a low income out, leaving them with no options but fast fashion (Meza, 2021). This is ironic, as although trendy now, charity shops and second hand clothing has had a negative stigma in the past (Meza, 2021), and the same people that would have sneered at poorer people a decade ago, are now labelling people in deprived areas as unsustainable (Jacob, 2020).
Another issue that Jo raised in her Circle of Impact Masterclass is that the positive impact of shopping second hand is questionable, as resale apps are saturated with fast fashion. When buying garments second hand, we must critique sellers and products on these apps the same way that we would critique fast fashion brands. We should also look to buy from official sellers and vintage shops, as although more expensive we will be leaving lower budget items to those with less income; “both store owners and individual consumers must recognize their privilege when participating on the second-hand market in order to ensure that communities in need are being served alongside any strides made towards environmental friendliness” (Nair, 2019).Shopping clothing second hand and from circular brands is also not attainable for many people. For example, some people may not have the time or money to source these slow companies and garments. I hope that in the future we can make circular brands accessible to everyone, and on a local scale.
To conclude, it is predicted that by 2030 the second-hand market could be worth twice the value of fast fashion (Translate Media, 2021). After doing some research I found that well known magazine and newspaper publications have been linking new garments owned and worn by islanders on the show. This, in addition to contestant brand collaborations and fast fashion advertising during show breaks unfortunately defeats the whole objective of the collaboration. Fast fashion isn’t going to disappear completely, as there will also always be a demand for it due to its low price point, and ability to churn out new trends. We currently have tax subsidies that support the fossil fuel industry, but nothing to help green and renewable initiatives (Stop Profit - Circle of Impact Masterclass Series, 2021). Big businesses will not slow down until they are forced to, and as consumers it is essential that we invest in circular business models, as they involve “new innovative ways to capture resources and maximize positive impact for the benefit of humans and our planetary biosphere”(Stop Buying Second Hand - Circle of Impact Masterclass Series, 2021).
Copyright Amy Edwards 2022.
Bibliography
Can Fast Fashion Slow Down? (2022) [Podcast on Spotify] The Overview 08/06/2022. At: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3DYe61daB77OtvO0eykRHp?si=1037e5acb56e4b91(Accessed 10/07/2022).
Cole, L. (2022) ‘Is Love Island’s eBay partnership the beginning of the end for fast fashion?’ In: The Face 20/05/2022. At: https://theface.com/style/will-love-island-ebay-partnership-end-fast-fashion-reality-tv-pretty-little-thing-boohoo-missguided-molly-mae-climate-crisis-the-environment (Accessed 10/07/2022).
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List of Images
Fig. 1 Bannerman, A. (2022) Stylist Amy Bannerman with Mannequins in Pre-loved Garments. [Photo on Instagram] At: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf39grIMlx3/?hl=en (Accessed 19/07/2022).
Fig. 2 Bannerman, A. (2022) Love Island Contestant Tasha Ghouri in Vintage Versace Two Piece. [Photo on Instagram] At: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf7GcpKta-r/ (Accessed 19/07/2022).
Fig. 3 Love Island (2022) Islander Photo Dump. [Photo on Instagram] At: https://www.instagram.com/p/CgJWi4KowGv/(Accessed 19/07/2022).
Fig. 4 Bannerman, A. (2022) Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu in Pre-loved House of CB. [Photo on Instagram] At: https://www.instagram.com/p/CgKBUkOq1uD/(Accessed 19/07/2022).
Fig. 5 Love Island (2022) Love Island Contestants 2022.[Photo on Instagram] At: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf95pa8LTnq/(Accessed 19/07/2022).
Fig. 6 Bannerman, A. (2022) Dami Hope in Pre-loved Clothing.[Photo on Instagram] At: https://www.instagram.com/p/CgKBUkOq1uD/(Accessed 19/07/2022).
Fig. 7 eBay (2022) Shop Love Island Official Looks Web Page. [Screenshot of eBay Website] At: https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/Love-Island-Official-Looks/bn_7118520194 (Accessed 19/07/2022).
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