Spanish fashion chain Zara is entering the resale market with ‘Zara Pre-Owned’.
The ‘Zara Pre-Owned’ platform, which will be launched in England on November 3, is based on three service offerings, the main brand of Spanish fashion group Inditex announced on Friday. Accordingly, customers will be able to repair, sell and donate worn items of clothing in the future. The platform’s offer will be rolled out in Zara stores, on the mobile app and on the fashion label’s e-commerce website.
‘Zara Pre-Owned’: Sell, Fix and Donate
The sales process will allow English people to sell and also buy used Zara clothes in a peer-to-peer process. The resale platform integrated into the existing website and app is sorted by category. Relevant product information, such as actual images of the garment, is uploaded by sellers. Zara also provides the original product description of the item.
Repairs can be claimed for garments from past and current collections. The offer can be requested in a Zara branch or online and includes, among other things, the replacement of defective buttons and zippers as well as repairs to the seams of clothing.
The donation offer is not new in England, but is now being expanded. So far, customers have been able to donate clothes in designated containers in Zara stores, but it is also possible to request collection of clothes of any brand to be donated. This is then picked up in a similar way to a return. Online donations benefit the English Red Cross.
‘Zara Pre-Owned’ is another sustainable step by the Inditex Group and demonstrates the group’s commitment to the circular economy, the company said in a statement.
Sustainable commitment or greenwashing? More and more fast fashion providers are launching resale programs
Zara’s announcement of a resale program follows Monday’s announcement of ‘Shein Exchange’, a similar offering by the Chinese fast fashion giant. Shein’s program, which was launched in the USA, is to be expanded next year, but it is not yet known whether a global expansion is also planned for ‘Zara Pre-Owned’.
Critical voices warn that the resale initiatives of the fast fashion retailers are not about honest, sustainable efforts, but rather about greenwashing and image cultivation.
The production is by no means reduced within the framework of the resale platforms, rather it is often an additional business model for the companies. Customers will continue to be tempted to buy. Core problems, such as overproduction and the extreme buying behavior of consumers, are ignored here. It is questionable whether the programs ultimately lure people to buy more than ever before, after all, there is now an opportunity to sell bought clothes again in no time at all in the name of “sustainability”.