Dive Brief:
- Resale technology platform Archive is partnering with more than 20 brands to launch activations and promotions in tandem with Second Hand September, according to a press release.
- As part of the promotion, brands including Diane von Furstenberg, Sandro, Maje, M.M.LaFleur and Ulla Johnson will sell pre-owned products in their retail stores, and other Archive brand partners will offer online discounts and promotions, per the release.
- Oscar de la Renta, Marimekko, Dr. Martens, The North Face and other brands will also offer in-store and online activations, Archive said in the release. Styling events and live panel discussions will be offered throughout the month.
Dive Insight:
Started in 2019 by U.K.-based nonprofit Oxfam, Second Hand September was created as an alternative to the traditional spring-summer international fashion shows. The movement “encourages consumers to embrace sustainability by purchasing pre-owned items during a month when the fashion industry has historically focused on showcasing only new products on the runways,” per Archive’s release.
“We’re thrilled so many of our brand partners are participating in Second Hand September this year,” Emily Gittins, co-founder and CEO of Archive, said in the release. “The rise in participation reflects a growing commitment to minimizing waste and landfill accrual in the fashion industry.”
Archive and its brand partners are “actively working to reduce the industry’s environmental impacts,” the resale platform said in the release, adding that it hopes to “encourage consumers to shift to a more circular fashion model… that emphasizes extending the lifecycle of garments through resale, reuse and recycling.”
The resale technology company launched in February 2021. By the end of 2022 it had raised more than $24 million from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Bain Capital Ventures and others. The platform offers peer-to-peer, in-store and mail-in takeback programs.
Resale was also on display at the beginning of New York Fashion Week when eBay hosted a shoppable runway show on Sept. 5 with pre-owned looks from brands including Khaite, Off-White and Simone Rocha. A similar event from the brand kicked off London Fashion Week on Thursday.
