Asda trials resale with second-hand clothing pop-up, 'Re-Loved’

Asda has become the latest big retailer to jump into the world of second-hand fashion with the announcement it will be setting up a ‘Re-Loved’ pop-up in its Milton Keynes store.

Running for four weeks from 2 September, the pop-up will feature donated second-hand clothes from a number of different brands, and comes as part of a drive by George - Asda’s fashion brand and the UK’s second largest fashion retailer by volume - to “improve the environmental impact of its clothes and operations.”

In March, George announced it will move to using only polyester that is sourced from recycled materials by 2025. Products in the retailer’s SS19 range include blouses and dresses made with fabric from recycled polyester clothing.

George said it has a zero-tolerance policy towards incineration of clothing waste and its surplus products are donated to be repurposed or recycled by a number of different charities. It also has clothing recycling points for customers at almost 500 stores.

An estimated 140 million pounds worth of clothing is sent to landfill in the UK each year, according to government waste body Wrap.

Melanie Wilson, senior director for sustainable sourcing at George, said in a statement: “As a country, we throw away far too many clothes. At George, we’re committed to doing the right thing by our customers and the planet by improving the sustainability of our products, making sure they are built to last - including our 100 day satisfaction guarantee - and ensuring that any surplus stock we have is repurposed or recycled.

“By trialling our Re-Loved pop-up shop, we hope to help create another route for unwanted clothes to find a new home and encourage people to think again about throwing away that top or those jeans they no longer love.”

The news comes as more fashion companies try their hands in the rapidly growing second-hand clothing market. Last month it was reported that German online giant Zalando was piloting ‘Zircle’, a second hand clothing pop-up store in Berlin's Alexa shopping mall, while in the same month US department store chains Macy’s and JCPenney both announced they had entered into partnerships with the San Francisco-based resale company ThredUp.

All proceeds from Asda’s pop-up store will go to Asda’s Tickled Pink campaign, which supports Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now. To date, the Tickled Pink partnership has raised over 64 million pounds for breast cancer research and support.

Photo courtesy of Asda