Luxury consignment site The RealReal has tapped Stella McCartney as its first official brand partner, which was made official on National Consignment Day—a new holiday that’s been approved by the National Day Calendar thanks to The RealReal. McCartney is a vocal advocate of sustainability and social responsibility, making her a proponent of The RealReal’s “recommerce” initiative. Details on the partnership are still being rolled out, but there will be programming involving the designer’s U.S. stores as well as The RealReal’s NYC concept store and website. “We believe that consignment and recommerce can play a significant part in reducing the amount of raw materials that are required each year from our planet,” said McCartney in a statement. “This is key in our commitment to becoming part of a more circular economy. By ensuring that our products are used for the entirety of their lifecycle, it is possible to begin to slow down the amount of natural resources currently being cultivated and extracted from the planet for the sake of fashion.”
The RealReal is looking to get other Kering brands involved with the initiative, and LVMH has reportedly also expressed interest. “We’re really working on a combination of education and referral and incentives for someone to consign,” says The RealReal CEO Julie Wainwright to Fashionista.com. “It’s a bold statement [for a brand] to say, ‘Consigning is a really good thing, and you guys should consign because when you buy our products and you’re ready to move on, you should consign those goods.'”
