VENTURA – Patagonia is about to enter the next stage of growth for its Worn Wear online store, where it sells its refurbished second-hand gear to keep consumers wearing stuff for longer, reduce consumption and lower the environmental footprint of the clothes we wear.
So far, the Worn Wear online store has operated largely under the radar, but speaking to Ecotextile News, Phil Graves, senior director of corporate development at Patagonia revealed there will be a big promotional push to its customers in the coming two weeks: “We have an email that’s going to go out to customers, it’s the first time we've marketed to them, to try and make them aware of the programme and we’ll be doing it in a meaningful way and a big way.”
He also said the company is eyeing up new markets beyond the USA. “We are currently exploring entry into new markets like Europe and Japan,” he said, “but as yet no launch date has been set.”
The initiative, which runs in collaboration with Yerdle, the California-based recommerce firm, which is also part owned by the US-based outdoor brand, is attracting forward-thinking apparel brands such as Patagonia, REI and Eileen Fisher not only to help retailers to take greater control of resale, it’s also said to help increase profits, deepen customer engagement and lowers the environmental and social cost of the stuff we all buy.
