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Gucci joins forces with the second-hand platform The RealReal. The luxury brand with the big G opens its own webshop, where customers’ items get a second (or umpteenth) life.
Tree per sale
The e-shop named Gucci x TRR will have a constant rotation of articles, which will be delivered by Gucci itself as well as by customers. According to Vogue, the Italian fashion house will thus become the first major luxury label that encourages consumers to resell their items. For every Gucci item bought or sold, The RealReal and Gucci will also plant a tree.
The collaboration is big news, as luxury brands have so far kept aloof from second-hand platforms. Although premium brands are very popular there, there is also the fear of counterfeiting and damage to the exclusive image of luxury fashion houses. American platform The RealReal, which has more than 17 million users, has now managed to convince Gucci.
Towards circular luxury
Predictions that the second-hand fashion market will now grow from 28 billion dollar to 64 billion by 2025, will undoubtedly have contributed. But the main motivation is sustainability, says Julie Wainwright, founder of The RealReal, to Vogue.
After all, Gucci is taking steps towards a circular model, which has already manifested itself in the launch of a circular collection of recycled materials called Gucci Off the Grid. In order to really close the circle, besides recycling, reselling is an interesting solution, because it also preserves more value. To make this logistically manageable, platforms such as The RealReal are currently a handy solution.
Wainwright hopes to close such collaborations with brands in the future: “We have to get people thinking about the life cycle of what they buy. One garbage truck’s worth of textiles is landfilled or burned every second. Fashion can’t continue being disposable—we have to buy things that are well made and resell [them] when we’re done with them. Partnering and collaborating directly with brands, as we are with Gucci, is a meaningful way for us to harness their influence to increase exposure to the importance of circular fashion.”
