Reality TV has officially broken up with fast fashion – this is why it matters

Written by Naomi May

For the first time, eBay has joined forces with Love Island as the reality TV show’s first secondhand sponsor. 

There are few cultural pinnacles that define the great British summer more than Love Island, which today announced that eBay will be its fashion sponsor for the first time.

The collaboration, which will see Islanders wear pre-loved clothes during the upcoming season of the show, comes after eBay research found that British shoppers are becoming increasingly conscious of fast fashion.

According to the data, a fifth of Brits admitted that they buy more secondhand fashion now than they did two years ago, with the demographic of people between 18–34 having the highest average percentage of secondhand clothes in their wardrobes.  

“We’re so excited to partner with Love Island this year and put pre-loved fashion centre stage,” says eBay’s head of fashion, Jemma Tadd. “The impact of Love Island and its stars across the UK is undeniable, and together we want to inspire the nation to choose pre-loved first when shopping – even if this means buying or selling one or two pre-loved items to start with, it’s a step in the right direction. We can’t wait to change the conversation and dress the Islanders in pre-loved outfits for the very first time.” 

The news that Love Island has dumped its former fast fashion partners, including I Saw It First and Boohoo, comes after data released last summer found that online sales increased by a tenth during the six-week run of the series. Last year’s winner, Millie, proved the clout that contestants have, after her one-shoulder marble dress influenced 127% more searches for ‘marble dress’ and her linen hot-pink co-ord caused 114% more searches for ‘hot pink co-ord’, according to data from eBay.

Contestants on this year’s show will be styled in their pre-loved pieces by Amy Bannerman, who specialises in styling vintage and secondhand wares, with the idea being that Islanders can wear, borrow and repeat their outfits. 

Images: courtesy of ITV

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