Nearly two years after launching its resale platform in Canada, fast fashion brand H&M has its sights set on the US market.
The Swedish retailer is expanding its resale platform H&M Pre-Loved, created in collaboration with online consignment platform ThredUp. The clothing brand initially added 30,000 pieces of clothing to its online resale website, and ThredUp will be responsible for restocking it with clothes sent in by customers.
“We need to take responsibility for the impact fashion has on climate and the environment … With the launch of our first resale model in the U.S. market, we’re taking the next big step in that direction,” said Abigail Kammerzell, H&M’s head of sustainability.
As sustainability continues to be a consumer priority — according to a 2022 study by global strategy consulting firm Simon-Kucher & Partners, 65 percent of US buyers take it into account before making a purchase — resale has become an increasingly popular proposition for brands. That’s even the case in fast fashion: Zara and Shein launched resale operations last October. ThredUp has served as the partner for a number of those efforts with its resale-as-a-service offering, teaming up with Athleta, Madewell and J.Crew to provide the backend capabilities for these platforms. With the launch, H&M is now ThredUp’s largest resale partner.
Though it has operated a garment collecting programme since 2013, H&M has previously come under fire for allegations of greenwashing. Last fall, those claims ultimately led the brand to pull its ‘Conscious’ collection, which was marketed as eco-friendly, from shelves.
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H&M is the latest to enter the space, with a marketplace set to launch on Sept. 7 in Canada. The fast fashion behemoth sees an opportunity to bring in new customers and burnish its sustainability credentials. But it has plenty of competition.
