Madewell Partners With thredUP to Sell Used Jeans Online

Consumers expect to recycle items like cans, glass and paper but when it comes to getting rid of the things they wear, it tends to wind up in the garbage without much thought. An alliance between Madewell and clothing resale platform thredUP wants to change that. Around 11.3 tons of textiles are sent to landfill every 12 months, according to the EPA, and an estimated 36 billion items of clothing are simply thrown away in the US each year rather than being recycled or resold, according to thredUP. As consumers become more conscious of how their shopping habits affect the environment, they are becoming increasingly concerned by these numbers, prompting a shift in how they acquire clothing—with many shoppers, especially among Gen Z, turning to thrift stores and used clothing marketplaces. Madewell, a casual clothing brand owned by the J. Crew Group, is aiming to tap into this enthusiasm with a new expanded partnership with thredUP. Madewell Forever, as the extension is called, will live on a dedicated microsite, accessible through the brand's main website and jointly operated by the clothing brand and thredUP. It offers a curated selection of used (or "pre-loved") Madewell jeans. Gen Z's appetite for used clothes The new platform is launching today with over 3,000 pieces, collected through thredUP and the brand's ongoing denim recycling program. Moving forward, jeans dropped off at the store in good enough condition for resale will be combined with thredUP's Madewell brand archives to continually update the site as pieces are added. Jeans that are truly worn out will continue to be passed on to Blue Jeans Go Green, which recycles denim to make housing insulation. Madewell Forever, jointly operated by thredUP and Madewell, launches with 3,000 pieces available online. Despite the pandemic, 2020 was a record year for the clothing resale market, according to thredUP's 2021 Resale Report. Largely driven by younger, environmentally-conscious consumers, the report predicts the secondhand clothing industry will grow to $77 billion by 2025. Right now, it sits at $36 billion. Resale-as-a-service The partnership with Madewell is the first of its kind for thredUP—and similar deals are in the works. The online consignment shop is in talks with several other brands (all currently under wraps) to launch similar programs before the end of the year, thredUP svp and general manager Pooja Sethi told Adweek. Hired in January to lead the resale-as-a-service portion of thredUP's business, Sethi said interest has exploded over the last few months as more brands see opportunity in offering consumers a secondhand clothing option. "The new mindset around clothing consumption with the younger demographics [is really what's driving that interest]," she said. "Forward-thinking brands like Madewell are getting into the ecosystem." Enthusiasm for thrift and resale has fueled (and been fueled by) trends on TikTok over the last year, as well. To capitalize on that and reach Gen Z consumers, Madewell is working with influencers on the platform to promote the Madewell Forever's debut. The brand's also investing in other forms of paid social and digital advertising to support the launch. Sustainability sells Still, Madewell sees the partnership less as a business opportunity and more as an important step in shifting toward a more circular system of clothing production and consumption, according to the brand's chief marketer, Derek Yarbrough. About five years ago, Yarbrough said the brand started to take sustainability more seriously—largely because its fans and employees cared deeply about addressing the climate impact of the clothing industry. "Our associates are very passionate about this whole topic, and so it's something that was really driven from the bottom up, internally, from our customers, from our associates," he said. "It's a very organic approach." Yarbrough also said he expects the lower price point of the resale option to open up the Madewell brand to younger consumers who may not be in a position to pay $75-$100 for a pair of jeans. On Madewell Forever, shoppers can snag a used pair for between $35 and $50. As consumers begin to engage with Madewell Forever, Yarbrough said he's interested to see how many shop exclusively resale, and how many "might shop resale as an entry point to the brand and then over time migrate to the full price assortment." Since its founding in 2006, Madewell has developed a reputation for high-quality denim, which accounts for a third of its overall business and bodes well for the resale extension—becoming the bright spot in parent company J. Crew Group's portfolio. Launched as a more casual, womenswear spinoff of J. Crew, the brand expanded into men's clothing in 2018 (though Madewell Forever will house only women's styles to start). Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Madewell was prepping for an initial public offering that was first delayed and ultimately fell through in March 2020 as retail took a serious hit due to nationwide lockdowns and J. Crew filed for bankruptcy and subsequently restructured. New Study From thredUP Shows Secondhand Clothing Is Displacing Fast Fashion