Love Island partners with eBay to dress contestants in secondhand outfits

theguardian.com:

Love Island is always a fertile ground for fashion trends with contestants often wearing several outfits in each episode. But this season, those outfits will be different – they will be secondhand.

Contestants on the reality TV show, which is back on air next month, will be provided with a wardrobe of preloved pieces to wear after ITV partnered with eBay.

It is a big shift for Love Island. For the last three years, the fast fashion company, I Saw It First – which sells clothes for as little as £2.80 – has sponsored the show and provided clothes and accessories for contestants.

But the show has changed tack after criticism from sustainability advocates for encouraging a disposable attitude to fashion.

While contestants will also wear their own clothes this season, they are being encouraged to take an “eat, sleep, rewear, repeat” attitude to their outfits.

Announcing the partnership, Mike Spencer, the executive producer of Love Island, said: “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 … This partnership will see our islanders get to dive into the shared wardrobes, and help themselves to some incredible preloved clothes sourced from eBay.”

Jemma Tadd, head of fashion buying at eBay, believes the reach of the show has the power to change consumers’ perceptions around secondhand clothes. “Love Island is a worldwide phenomenon, nobody can deny it,” she says. “It’s a really exciting opportunity for us to change the conversation around fashion. I really hope that is going to lead to meaningful change in the industry.”

With viewing figures reaching up to 3 million people an episode, the influence of Love Island on what consumers buy is well documented. I