Gap Partners with thredUP on Resale Venture

Gap recently announced a partnership with thredUP, which is designed to encourage customers to exchange secondhand clothes for shopping credit at Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, and Janie and Jack stores.

 

Gap “is the largest clean out participant to date in thredUP’s Resale-as-a-Service (RAAS) program, an online platform that partners with retailers to support the circular fashion economy,” according to a Gap release.

 

“As the resale revolution continues to gain momentum, participating in re-commerce is not only good for our planet, but good for business,” Mark Breitbard, President, Gap Inc. Specialty Brands, said in the release. “Our customers are diversifying their closets, whether with new clothing, rental pieces, or secondhand goods. We’re thrilled to partner with thredUP in offering a sustainable and innovative way to shop for the closet of the future.”

 

According to thredUP’s annual Resale Report, 56 million women bought secondhand products in 2018.

 

“thredUP’s Resale-as-a-Service platform was built with consumers and retailers in mind,” said James Reinhart, Co-Founder and CEO of thredUP. “After spending the past decade building the backbone of resale on the internet, we are thrilled to partner with the iconic brands in the Gap Inc. portfolio to deliver a convenient, responsible clean out service to their customers. By working together we can pave the way for a more circular fashion future.”

 

Participants redeeming credits at Gap brands will receive an additional 15 percent payout bonus. thredUP Clean Out bags or labels will be available to customers at certain Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta and Janie and Jack stores in the United States, beginning in April.

 

Gap, which currently diverts nearly 50 percent of waste generated from its North American facilities, is working to divert more than 30 million pounds of material annually from landfills. Meanwhile, thredUP, which is the largest fashion resale platform in the world, upcycled its 100 millionth item in 2019.

 

This is the latest in a long line of partnerships between thredUP and retailers. In August 2019, thredUP announced agreements with Macy’s and JCPenney, noting that 30 JCPenney stores would be offering a selection of its secondhand women’s clothing and handbags. Each thredUP shop at JCPenney was said to be thoughtfully curated and refreshed weekly to offer current fashion to shoppers. The Macy’s partnership included a 40-store pilot program. In October of last year, Madewell and thredUP partnered to sell secondhand jeans in Madewell stores in select markets.

 

Another player jumped into the resale clothing arena earlier month, as Nordstrom launched See You Tomorrow, providing customers an online resale site and the opportunity to buy secondhand garments at the brand’s flagship store in New York City.

 

We at Loyalty360 are eager to see how the partnership between Gap and thredUP plays out, as well as how the retail resale market continues to evolve.

 

 

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