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  • Madewell Platform For Second Hand Clothing With Thredup

    Madewell Platform For Second Hand Clothing With Thredup

    Consumers have taken a big dig to recycle all sorts of waste but when it comes to clothes the speed of adaptation is very slow. Abandoned clothes lead to landfills causing a threat to the environment. The incipient fashion trend of thrifting or reselling second-hand clothes is now more productively being used by retailers. Consumers, especially Generation Z are becoming more mindful and are moving towards thrift stores and second-hand clothing.

    To be a part of this new business opportunity, US denim brand Madewell partnered with resale giant ThredUp to launch a new second-hand fashion platform “Madewell Forever”.This online resale platform is a stand-alone digital store curated by Madewell and stocked by both ThredUp and Madewell stores.

    Madewell Forever is an exclusive microsite and an extension to Madewell’s official site. It can be accessed via a ‘pre-loved button’ on the brand’s main site. Jointly operated by ThredUp, it will offer a curated selection of used or “pre-loved” jeans. The project’s principal aim is “to collect 1 million pairs of jeans by 2023 and double the life of each recirculated garment,” the companies said in a press release. The effort as  Madewell claims “has diverted over 500 tons of denim waste from landfills.” 

     The RESALE-AS-A-SERVICE

    The alliance operates on ThredUp’s resale-as-a-service (RaaS) to give used jeans a new life. Launched on Tuesday, the platform currently has over 3,000 products, with new styles added hourly. The prices range from 35 dollars to 50 dollars. ThredUp’s “resale-as-a-service” technology is available to third-party retailers since 2018 and is an expansion of the companies’ 2019 collaboration of selling secondhand jeans. The company claims to have processed over 100M unique clothing items to date and displaced 1Billion lbs of CO2.

    Over the past two years, San Francisco-based ThredUp has procured partnerships with famed brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Reebok, and Rent the Runway. But this is the first time that one of ThredUp’s RaaS clients ( Madewell) has launched a resale platform that allows customers to both clean out their closets and shop for second-hand fashion.

    The companies said that Madewell worked closely with ThredUp to develop a unique, white-labeled resale channel including a digital shop, the first of its kind enabled by the service.

    HOW DOES IT WORK?

    Customers are encouraged to bring any brand of pre-worn jeans into Madewell stores and earn 20 dollars towards a full-priced pair of Madewell jeans. Progressively, jeans dropped off at the store in a satisfactory condition are put up for resale and assembled with the brand archives. The site is continually updated with more inventory. Jeans that are truly worn out and are unsellable get passed on to the ‘Blue Jeans Go Green program’ that then recycles denim for housing insulation.

    “It’s exciting to see a beloved brand like Madewell working to extend the life of their clothes and commit to a more circular fashion future. We are proud ThredUp’s operating platform will enable and scale a meaningful resale channel for Madewell through ‘Madewell Forever’.” Says ThredUp co-founder and CEO James Reinhart.

    ABOUT THE BRAND: MADEWELL

    Founded in 2006, Madewell has a reputation for high-quality denim and is the bright spot in parent company J. Crew Group’s portfolio. Earlier being a casual women’s wear line, the brand expanded into men’s clothing in 2018. Retailer of apparel and accessories in the United States, the company’s products include denim, shirts, sweaters, dresses, coats, shoes, and bags, providing customers with the latest design in fashion.

    As Madewell lays down a pristine outlook for the fashion industry through its sustainable attempts, it spurs the interests of other companies to inculcate second-hand apparel platforms and reduce the retail impact on the environment.

    EMERGING DENIM RESALE PLATFORMS

    “Thrifted denim is generally a smart purchase because of the durable nature of the fabric, which often lasts longer than other fabrics, and gets better with wear. People typically love the distressed look of worn denim, which makes it easy to be resold again and again,” said Natalie Tomlin, a ThredUp spokesperson.

    As consumers turn more sensible about the environment, sites like Depop, Poshmark, ThreadUp, and The Real Real are their go-to destinations for better denim deals.

    ThredUp

     Founded in 2009 and based in San Francisco, ThredUp is an online consignment store that allows you to combine the joys of online shopping and the great prices of shopping thrift. It operates with the mission to inspire a new generation of consumers to think secondhand first. By making it easy to buy and sell secondhand, ThredUP has become one of the world’s largest resale platforms for women’s and kids’ apparel, shoes, and accessories. ThredUp’s mission is to extend every garment’s life and keep as many textiles as possible in use and out of landfills.

    Depop

     Based in London, Depop provides a marketplace that enables individuals to buy and sell their items on mobile platforms.  The application has attracted celebrities to open stores, with some donating proceeds to charitable causes. Depop is especially popular with the Millennial and Generation Z audience because it provides a way for them to recycle second-hand items. Depop’s popularity is attributed to its push to support sustainable fashion sources.

    Poshmark

    Poshmark is a marketplace for those looking to sell modern clothes and accessories, often secondhand. With more than 60 million users within North America and approximately 100 million items for sale, this platform is a great option for anyone looking to sell mid to high-end products.

    Poshmark is more oriented towards Millennials. Sellers have good luck when posting brands like Madewell, Zara, Coach, and Banana Republic. On Poshmark, one can earn a premium for selling brand new items but shoppers aren’t concerned about high-value vintage pieces.

    The Real Real

     Founded in 2011, The RealReal is the world’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goods. With a rigorous authentication process overseen by experts, the company provides a safe and reliable platform for consumers to buy and sell their luxury items. A sustainable company gives new life to pieces by hundreds of brands, from Gucci to Cartier, supporting the circular economy. The reseller is also seeing sustainability-focused brands like Re/Done, a brand is known for its upcycled vintage denim garments, the trend in the market.

    While the cost-effective benefits for consumers shopping resale are present, denim is also proving to be a reliable business for the resale sites. With household closets serving as a supply to this market, resale platforms are offering consumers an opportunity of joy with a consistent rotation of new pre-owned products for less. As Second–hand fashion contributes to both business and environmental concerns, it brings about a revolution of thrifted denim which will be relished and fancied by the new age customer more in the coming years.

  • Recycled Carbon Smart Fabrics –Lululemon X Lanzatech: Promise For Denim Industry Also

    Recycled Carbon Smart Fabrics –Lululemon X Lanzatech: Promise For Denim Industry Also

    Lululemon Athletica Inc., the luxury athletic apparel brand, recently announced its collaboration with Biotechnology company LanzaTech, to produce the world’s first fabric with the use of recycled carbon emissions that would otherwise get released into the atmosphere as pollution. The carbon-capture experts and the high-end athleisure curator have fabricated a waste-gas-based polyester with the same appearance, advent, and properties of virgin polyester.

    LanzaTech – a New Zealand startup – uses nature-based solutions to make ethanol out of waste carbon sources and is partnering with different companies around the world including India Glycols Limited (IGL) and Taiwanese Far Eastern New Century(FENC) to transform ethanol into the polyester. Recycling carbon is a foundational element of the circular economy, which keeps fossil carbon in the ground, abating pollution and fossil fuel utilization when used to produce polyester. With a decreased carbon footprint, this innovation could remold Lululemon’s products and the apparel industry.
    The technology innovated by the company is compared to that of a brewery; instead of using yeast for traditional fermentation, industrial carbon waste is converted into fuels and chemicals by bacteria. The technology also holds great promise for the denim industry as polyester is one of the important fibers used in the denim products.

    “We must radically change how we source, utilize and dispose of carbon. Carbon recycling enables companies like Lululemon to continue to move away from virgin fossil resources, bring circularity to their products, and achieve their climate change goals around carbon reduction. We call this being ‘CarbonSmart.’” Says Jennifer Holmgren, CEO, LanzaTech.


    The biotech company claims that the ethanol so produced comes from a steel mill in China, where carbon monoxide is fermented and converted into ethanol. The company has worked with a chemical partner called India Glycols Limited to turn ethanol into mono ethylene glycol (MEG), a chemical normally made from fossil fuels. Another partner, the textile manufacturer Far Eastern New Century, used the MEG to make polyester. When made into Lululemon’s fabric, it’s the same as the one made from fossil fuels.

    HOW IS THE FABRIC MADE?

    According to LanzaTech, carbon is captured from various feedstocks, including synthetic gas, industrial emissions, agricultural waste, household waste, and other sources of carbon that have already been emitted into the atmosphere. These carbon molecules are then transformed into ethanol with the help of micro-organisms developed by them. The ethanol and other base ingredients thus produced are eventually converted into the resultant fabric, that is, polyester.
    This synthetic material provides the comfort, breathable wear, flattering shape, and fit that is necessary for athleisure clothes. This sustainable substitution of using carbon emissions instead of virgin petroleum or fossil fuel to produce polyester helps maintain ecological balance.


    “Since initially connecting LanzaTech’s Taiwanese joint-venture set up with a pilot plant in Taiwan, I believed this waste-gas-based polyester formation would be a sustainable solution for the polyester industry. We are happy to team up with IGL and Lululemon to complete the supply chain for this historical project and continue working with LanzaTech towards our common goal for a better Earth,” says Dr. Fanny Liao, Executive Vice President of RD at FENC.
    Lululemon hasn’t yet announced which products the fabric so produced may be used in. But by partnering with LanzaTech at a prompt stage, Lululemon is helping move the technology forward.
    Polyester fiber is one of the most prevalent synthetic fibers that usually uses petroleum-based feedstock. LanzaTech worked with Taiwanese textile manufacturer FENC to manufacture the ‘TOPGREEN Bio3-PET’ fiber which was made from LanzaTech’s ethanol. This initiative shows FENC’s and Lululemon’s dedication to sustainable innovation. Likewise, LanzaTech has also partnered with Unilever Pvt Limited to manufacture laundry detergent using recycled carbon emissions named OMO that has been rolled out in India.

    WHAT LED TO THIS BIG STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY?


    In October 2020, Lululemon published its first Impact Agenda, silhouetting its strategies to tackle social and environmental issues with 12 goals to drive progress. The partnership with LanzaTech is one of the many ways Lululemon is directed on bringing new technologies into operation.

    Lululemon Impact Agenda

    The Impact Agenda is the company’s stake in the ground towards an equitable and sustainable future. Developed through internal and external engagement, it is rooted in the social and environmental contexts in which it operates and the societal issues that matter most for the business and industry. This agenda outlines the company‘s commitments to improve environmental impact, contribute to a healthier future, and create long-term value.
    “We know sustainable innovation will play a key role in the future of retail and apparel, and we are excited to be at the forefront of innovative technology. Our partnership with LanzaTech will help Lululemon deliver on our Impact Agenda goals to make 100 per cent of our products with sustainable materials and end-of-use solutions, moving us toward a circular ecosystem by 2030,” says Ted Dagnese, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Lululemon.

    This environmentally benign innovation will set new parameters for other brands to optimize resources with more replaceable and recyclable methods, thus contributing to a better future of the apparel industry.These are in themselves great steps and could become incomparable if the recyclability of the post consumer products created with such polyester could be somehow ensured – specially for the denim industry which is really focusing hard of post consumer wastes. We are perhaps waiting for that great technology news about easy extraction and recyclability of polyester .