Michael Stars is taking a step toward circularity through its new partnership with resale site ThredUp.
This week, the Los Angeles women’s label said it’s working with the Bay Area recommerce giant to power its own pre-owned program, taking advantage of ThredUp’s Resale-as-a-Service (RaaS) platform. Brands like Farfetch, Gap, Vera Bradley, Madewell and Reformation have already partnered with the secondhand site to help shoppers clean out their closets while giving new life to old duds, 95 percent of which could be reused or recycled rather than sent to landfill, ThredUp said.
“The secondhand market is booming, and participating in the resale economy is becoming table stakes for retailers,” Michael Stars co-founder and president Suzanne Lerner said of the collaborative effort, which will provide the brand with a customizable, scalable solution to address waste. “ThredUp is transforming resale and writing the playbook for how brands can enable resale at scale” and “better service customers and the environment.”
ThredUp’s RaaS backend operations power the technology, software and logistics needed to operate a dedicated take-back and resale program, the company said. To participate, Michael Stars shoppers can generate prepaid shipping labels through ThredUp.com/cleanout/MichaelStars, filling any available box with unwanted apparel, shoes and accessories from any brand, including Michael Stars. By using the dedicated Michael Stars cleanout microsite, consignors receive credit from the brand to be used toward future purchases.
“Michael Stars is well-known for its timeless styles that are made to last and therefore have excellent resale value,” Pooja Sethi, ThredUp’s senior vice president and general manager of RaaS, said of the new partnership, adding that the brand is interested in encouraging more circular habits among its shoppers. “By powering apparel Clean Out through our Resale-as-a-Service, we aim to help keep clothes in use longer and out of landfills.”
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The new program will underscore Michael Stars’ circularity strategy, the brand said. More than 85 percent of the label’s garments are made in its hometown of L.A. using mostly sustainable fabrics “to ensure the quality of product and the reduction of their carbon footprint.” A campaign celebrating 35 years in business showcased brand fans who had kept their favorite Michael Stars T-shirts for decades.
ThredUp continues to expand its RaaS partners, with Kate Hudson-backed Fabletics among its most recent additions. Following its long-awaited initial public offering earlier this year, the company also engaged Farfetch this summer and expanded its Madewell relationship in July.
Dubbed Madewell Forever, the augmented platform utilizes ThredUp’s backend software and logistics to facilitate trade-ins of pre-owned denim at the brand’s brick-and-mortar locations for shopping credit. The partnership took root in 2019, when Madewell leveraged ThredUp’s RaaS platform to promote Madewell Archive, an in-store initiative curating secondhand denim at six U.S. locations.