Madewell’s New ThredUP Resale Platform To Double The Life Of 1M Pairs Of Denim By 2023

As part of its existing partnership with the secondhand apparel platform thredUP, clothing retailer Madewell launches a digital resale platform. Called ‘Madewell Forever’, the initiative is supported by thredUP’s Resale-as-a-Service (RaaS), a platform working on building a circular fashion economy.

Growing demand for circular fashion

Madewell’s new resale platform ‘Madewell Forever’ is supported by thredUP, the world’s biggest consignment platform. Its RaaS technology and logistics are helping leading brands and retailers create circular fashion experiences for consumers with Madewell as its first RaaS client.

According to a recent report by thredUP, the online resale market is set to soar by 27% and over the next five years, secondhand fashion is predicted to rise by 414%. Gen Zs will be responsible for driving this growth with a whopping 90% already tried or would want to shop secondhand.

In addition, Madewell’s ‘Group Chat’ that consists of customer feedback from 5000 fans have shared that 61% of them already own secondhand. Another research highlights that in the U.S. alone, within the next five years, the secondhand clothing market will be valued at US$77 billion.

Libby Wadle, CEO of J.Crew Group, owner of Madewell said that it is their duty to produce quality products that will last for long along with solutions that help reduce apparel waste, keeping them in circulation. “We are deeply committed to extending the life of our product and are thrilled to unveil ‘Madewell Forever’ in partnership with thredUP that will meaningfully extend the life of our product. We hope this launch will set a new standard for the fashion industry and encourage our peers to join us in finding circular solutions that reduce retail’s environmental impact.”

At Madewell, we believe that it is our responsibility to create quality products that are built to last, develop solutions to reduce apparel waste, and keep clothing in circulation for as long as possible

Libby Wadle, CEO of J.Crew Group

Secondhand denim shopping destination

Given that 73% of preloved clothes are either sent to landfills or for incineration, the new 360-resale platform has a digital shop that aims to encourage people to give their used clothes and buy secondhand ones.

The platform has 3000+ pre-loved women’s jeans and every hour based on availability, new styles are added. Curated by Madewell, the clothes are provided by thredUP’s inventory along with the denims collected at Madewell’s retail locations.

Co-founder and CEO of thredUP, James Reinhart said: “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’. Together, we are not only helping Madewell take steps towards their sustainability goals, but also furthering thredUP’s mission to inspire a new generation of consumers to think secondhand first.”

Read: 10 Stats Proving Secondhand Fashion Will Explode As Consumers Price In Sustainability

Together, we are not only helping Madewell take steps towards their sustainability goals, but also furthering thredUP’s mission to inspire a new generation of consumers to think secondhand first

James Reinhart, co-founder and CEO of thredUP

How it works?

Consumers can participate by dropping their used jeans of any brand or style in Madewell stores and will receive US$20 in credit towards a full-priced pair of Madewell jeans. The collection garments will be sent to thredUP and sorted into different categories.

For instance, if the denim meets quality standards, then it will be resold on the ‘Madewell Forever’ platform or select outlets. However, if the denim can’t be resold, it will be sent for recycling through programs like Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green.

According to the companies, consumers will be giving their old jeans a new life, and possibly doubling the time each piece is in circulation thus slashing its carbon footprint by 82%.

Through this initiative, by 2023, the duo is looking to collect one million pairs of denims. This will be twice the amount that Madewell collected in the last six years via its current denim trade-in program that has helped keep 500 tons of denim waste out of landfills.

Madewell and ThredUp first teamed up in 2019 for The Madewell Archive, a collection of upcycled preloved jeans.

Lead image courtesy of Madewell Forever.