In a pioneering move that underscores its commitment to sustainable fashion, eBay has unveiled its inaugural Pre-Loved Fashion Week. This groundbreaking event is presented in partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the British Fashion Council (BFC), and it promises to redefine the fashion industry's relationship with circularity and sustainability.
The centerpiece of the Pre-Loved Fashion Week is the live, shoppable runway show titled "Endless Runway," which will highlight pre-loved fashion pieces from renowned designers such as Khaite, Off-White, Christopher Kane, and Simone Rocha. These runway shows are set to precede the official Spring/Summer 2025 New York and London Fashion Week schedules. Following the live events, eBay will feature daily curated drops showcasing the best pre-loved fashion from top designers, allowing shoppers to immediately purchase these coveted items through the eBay platform.
Courtesy: Ebay
The Endless Runway shows are designed to make eBay's extensive collection of pre-owned designer clothing and accessories directly accessible to fashion enthusiasts. This initiative taps into the global surge in demand for circular fashion, which emphasizes reusing and recycling high-quality garments.
The New York segment of the Endless Runway will be curated and styled by fashion creative Wisdom Kaye, with fashion writer Liana Satenstein hosting. eBay's Pre-Loved Style Director, Amy Bannerman, will provide additional support, with live hosting duties undertaken by Leomie Anderson in London. These shows are tailored to engage shoppers in the US and UK respectively, through eBay Live, the company's live shopping platform.
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Kirsty Keoghan, eBay’s General Manager of Fashion, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative, stating, "eBay has been a driving force in promoting more sustainable fashion. With the launch of Pre-Loved Fashion Week, we're showing up on fashion's biggest stage and demonstrating that authentic designer fashion doesn't have to be out of reach."
Courtesy: Ebay
The global market for secondhand luxury products was valued at nearly $50 billion in 2023, with younger consumers driving a substantial portion of this growth. On eBay, pre-loved and refurbished items constitute 40% of the platform’s gross merchandise volume. Additionally, in June 2024, eBay users searched for "vintage" more than 1,000 times per minute on average. This increasing demand for pre-loved items highlights the growing support for circular fashion initiatives. Pre-Loved Fashion Week aims to illustrate how easily high-quality, authentic pre-loved designer fashion can be found on eBay.
Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA, praised the initiative, noting, "New York Fashion Week showcases the best of American fashion and beyond, and it is amazing how eBay brings together such a stellar selection of vintage, archival, and coveted items from these brands. eBay Pre-Loved Fashion Week and its Endless Runway live show connects the past, present, and future—and delivers a powerful reminder that the future of fashion is circular."
Similarly, Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, expressed excitement about the collaboration. "As we celebrate 40 years of London Fashion Week, we are thrilled to partner with eBay to showcase the incredible British brands and designers that have been integral to London Fashion Week over the past four decades. The Endless Runway catwalk will rejuvenate archival pieces, making fashion week more accessible and empowering consumers to embrace sustainable and circular fashion choices."
The Endless Runway in New York will feature an array of shoppable items from previous collections and archival pieces from designers participating in NYFW. This will include offerings from Toteme, Brandon Maxwell, Eckhaus Latta, and Ralph Lauren. The show will be the first of its kind at NYFW, focusing exclusively on pre-loved fashion. Throughout NYFW, eBay will continue to offer daily curated drops of pre-owned pieces from top designers showcasing new collections in New York.
Wisdom Kaye, the fashion creative behind the New York show, commented, "Working with eBay to bring Endless Runway to life has been incredibly rewarding. Styling with pre-loved items allows for limitless creative possibilities while promoting sustainability. It’s the ideal way to own the designer pieces you love but might otherwise find unattainable."
The Endless Runway presentation in New York will be broadcast live on September 5, 2024, at 12 PM ET exclusively on eBay Live, accessible via the eBay app. Daily drops of additional pre-owned items will be available each day of NYFW from September 5 through 11 at ebay.com/pre-lovedfashionweek.
In London, the Endless Runway will be curated by eBay’s Pre-Loved Style Director Amy Bannerman and co-hosted by model and presenter Leomie Anderson. This presentation will feature shoppable items from past collections and archival pieces from iconic British designers who have defined London Fashion Week over the past 40 years, including Christopher Kane and Molly Goddard. Additional curated selections of pre-owned pieces from top British designers will be released daily throughout London Fashion Week.
Leomie Anderson remarked, "eBay is the first brand to present an entirely pre-owned collection on the main fashion week schedule, which feels like the perfect way to celebrate 40 years of London Fashion Week. Being able to shop pre-loved and vintage items on eBay has been essential to my personal style development, and eBay Pre-Loved Fashion Week highlights how you can find anything and everything you are searching for on eBay."
The London Endless Runway will be streamed live on September 12, 2024, at 6:00 PM BST on eBay Live, accessible via the eBay app. Daily curated drops of additional pre-owned items will be available from September 12 through 17 at ebay.co.uk.
For more details on Pre-Loved Fashion Week, follow @ebay on Instagram and Twitter.
