With its brand new service, the Spanish fast fashion giant is tapping into the booming second-hand market. Some see it as an act landscaping.
We sell and buy Zara pieces there, exclusively. Here’s an idea for a new secondary service that the Spanish fast fashion giant is about to offer. In principle, Zara customers will be able to sell vintage clothes and buy archive pieces from the brand launched in 1975. The platform will first launch in the UK before rolling out to other markets.
How in detail Fashion business , the procedure should be as simple as possible. Like Vinted, sellers will film pieces to resell, which they will upload to a resale platform developed by Zara. The items will then appear in the catalog, and when someone makes a purchase, the buyer’s contact information will be passed on to the seller, who will return the clothing.
Action: landscaping ?
The advantage of this new platform is twofold. First, it will allow latecomers who missed out on a favorite to get pieces from previous collections at bargain prices. Then it will contribute to the circular economy. It is enough to call for sober and responsible consumption while reducing waste in the textile industry.
Nevertheless, the announcement was received with mixed feelings. Some are not fooled and condemn the act of “greenwashing”. If Zara enters the second-hand market, it is not out of ecological conviction. Especially when you know that the production of fast fashion is harmful to the environment. According to Ademi (Environment and Energy Management Agency), the textile industry, the world’s second largest water consumer after wheat and rice, emits 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually. This is up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. So this new service offered by Zara is bound to raise more than one grin.
In the video, the environmental impact of the textile industry in 8 key facts
Second hand, a booming market
But why bet on second hand? The answer is simple: the sector makes money. The vintage market in France continues to grow. In 2020, it already represented a turnover of more than seven billion euros, including more than one billion for fashion alone. According to the estimates of one of the largest American resale platforms, ThredUp, by 2027 the sale of used clothes should even exceed the sales of the big fast fashion brands and, above all, will generate up to 20% of the revenue of the luxury company (Bain). & Company Numbers).
Faced with this observation, luxury houses like fast fashion brands have changed their mindset and are now investing massively in second hand. Shein, for example, announced on Monday, Oct. 17, the launch of Shein Exchange, its platform for exchanging and reselling used goods between individuals. The pilot version, which is only available in the US market, is available on the brand’s app. At Shane, we believe it is our responsibility to build a fair fashion future for all while accelerating solutions to reduce textile waste,” said Adam Winston, Head of CSR. Fashion network . “By leveraging the reach and influence of our growing community, we believe that reselling purchases can become the new normal in our industry,” the e-retailer continues.
Problem: On the day of this announcement, a Channel 4 documentary highlighted the very low wages and poor working conditions of its workers in the Chinese fast fashion giant’s factories. Workers do not have a fixed salary, and some are paid as little as 0.27 yuan (4 euro cents) per garment, with deductions from their wages in case of mistakes. A case to follow.
Source: Le Figaro
