Burberry Teams Up With TheRealReal To Tap Into Resale Market & Promote Circular Fashion

Burberry has teamed up with resale website TheRealReal to promote a circular economy in fashion. In doing so, the British heritage house has become the largest luxury brand to tap into the rapidly growing consignment market. The partnership follows Stella McCartney’s 2017 link-up with the platform, whereby consignors receive a $100 voucher for the brand when they resell one of its products on TheRealReal.

Rather than siphoning off dead stock to TheRealReal, Burberry will reward consignors of its products with a personal shopping experience, enticing them back into its stores. The exclusive retail perks will be rolled out across 18 US Burberry stores and include champagne, high tea and an edit of new Burberry products for consumers to shop from, including the spring/summer 2020 collection.

“We hope to not only champion a more circular future, but encourage consumers to consider all the options available to them when they’re looking to refresh their wardrobes,” said Pam Batty, vice-president of corporate responsibility at Burberry. The conscious business decision follows the brand’s pledge to halt unnecessary plastic packaging use by 2025. It has also stated that it will stop destroying unsalable products by burning them.

Although the luxury sector has previously been wary of the secondary retail space, because of its lack of profitability (it is the resale vendor that takes a cut of the profit, not the original retailer), brands are gradually waking up to the new opportunities to connect with consumers. Expect more brands to follow suit, and attempt to coax customers back into bricks-and-mortar stores – in the UK, too.