Love Island goes preloved | WARC | The Feed

Love Island goes preloved

ITV reality show Love Island has partnered with eBay for its upcoming season, so contestants will be dressed in secondhand clothes rather than the fast fashion promoted by previous sponsors.

Why it matters 

It’s a sign that the drive to net zero is having an effect. “As a show, we strive to be a more eco-friendly production with more focus on ways in which we can visibly show this on screen,” executive producer Mike Spencer told the Guardian – not a statement he could have made when partnering with a fashion company selling clothes for under £3.

Additionally, if Love Island can do for eBay and secondhand fashion what it has previously done for I Saw It First and fast fashion (a 67% increase in sales and a 254% increase in Instagram followers in 2019, the Guardian notes), then the hopes of Jemma Tadd, head of fashion buying at eBay, may be realised: “It’s a really exciting opportunity for us to change the conversation around fashion,” she said. “I really hope that is going to lead to meaningful change in the industry.” 

Context

During a cost-of-living crisis, eBay’s timing is apposite. Its own research shows a fifth of Britons (19%) are buying more secondhand items in order to save money; further, a quarter of UK consumers bought secondhand fashion in 2021.

And the 18-24 target demographic for Love Island is also the one that has the highest average percentage of secondhand clothes in their wardrobe (22% v 12% for over-55s).

Sourced from Guardian, eBay [Image: itv.com]