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LONDON — Farfetch is forging ahead with its sustainability agenda and joining forces with Thrift+, one of the start-ups within its Dream Assembly mentorship program, to offer its customers an easy, fuss-free way of donating unwanted clothes and promote circular fashion.
Thrift+ offers an on-demand donation service, where customers can put up unwanted clothes for sale, with two-thirds of the proceeds going toward a charity of their choice and Farfetch credit to spend, while the rest covers Thrift+ costs. Customers can also opt out of receiving Farfetch credit and choose to donate their third to their charity of choice.
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The service will only be made available to the U.K.
“We know our consumers would like an easy way to clear their wardrobes of unused items and at the same time, they would like to feel positive about it. Thrift+ and Farfetch links our customer base with an innovative service that improves the donation experience and has a positive impact by giving good quality clothes another useful life and supporting multiple charities,” said Thomas Berry, director of sustainable business at Farfetch.
The appeal of the service is its seamless approach: Customers only need to package their unwanted clothes and book a free collection service or drop off their package at a drop-off point. The clothes will then be photographed by members of the Thrift+ team and put up for sale.
“We make donating secondhand clothes more effective, more transparent and more convenient giving secondhand shoppers the same quality shopping experience as regular shoppers,” said Thrift+ founder Joe Metcalf.
According to Thrift+, sales of secondhand clothes can reach up to 20,000 pounds every month.
As part of Farfetch’s Dream Assembly program, Thrift+ received mentorship, networking opportunities and early-stage funding earlier this year. For their second edition, sustainability was a key focus of the program, as the retailer brought Stella McCartney, who is a longstanding champion of sustainability, on board.
Earlier this year, Farfetch also introduced a handbag resale program dubbed “Farfetch Second Life,” which allows customers to launch pre-owned luxury handbags in exchange of Farfetch credit.
Farfetch-owned boutique Browns has also been pushing the green agenda, with the launch of a new documentary series spotlighting emerging talent working in ethical ways; exploring the rental model via a partnership with Armarium, and debuting a series of capsules by sustainability pioneers like Duran Lantink, Bode and By Walid.
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