A.L.C. Teams with SuperCircle, Archive on Resale and Recycling
Women’s wear brand A.L.C. is the latest to join the re-commerce revolution.
The New York label announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with branded resale platform Archive and take-back and recycling solutions firm SuperCircle.
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“ALConscious” will allow shoppers to buy and sell secondhand A.L.C. apparel on a dedicated microsite, or send in pre-owned items from any brand in their wardrobe for recycling, receiving store credit in exchange. The launch marks the first time Archive and SuperCircle have worked together to facilitate a branded resale and recycling program.
“A.L.C. has always been anchored by a sense of community, and this program is an extension of us caring for, empowering and being accountable to our community,” A.L.C. founder and creative director Andrea Lieberman said. “From empowering female artisans to upcycling vintage denim, we are constantly striving to make responsible choices.”
The 15-year-old brand aims to provide a new way for its consumers to keep their apparel in circulation, ensuring it does not end up in landfills, Lieberman added. “By launching ALConscious, we’re inviting our customers to expand their wardrobe, not their footprint,” she said.
Archive CEO and co-founder Emily Gittins said the company was “thrilled” to partner with A.L.C., marking its first coordinated effort with SuperCircle. “This launch is another example of how we are integrating our technology with a wide variety of logistics partners to create customized resale programs for some of the world’s most innovative brands,” she added. Having entered the market two years ago, Archive now facilitates on-site, brand-owned resale platforms for labels like Oscar de la Renta, The North Face, Sandro, M.M.LaFleur, Marimekko, Faherty and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Meanwhile, SuperCircle’s full-service reverse logistics platform powers recycling programs for Reformation, Tentree and Uniqlo. The company provides the connection between retail and waste management, allowing brands to develop take-back programs and ensure pre-owned clothing is recycled or reused.
“To create a truly circular economy, everybody has to work together, including fashion brands, advanced technology platforms, logistics companies and consumers,” the organization’s co-founder and CEO, Chloe Songer, said this week. “Forward-thinking brands like A.L.C. are giving customers multiple ways and incentives to extend the lifecycle of clothing items and to properly recycle them at the end of that cycle.”
Songer also co-founded circular footwear brand Thousand Fell, which makes sneakers with sugarcane, recycled plastic bottles and aloe vera. The shoes are designed to be taken back, recycled and transformed into new product.
