American fashion label Tommy Hilfiger has announced a partnership with British rental and resale platform, My Wardrobe HQ.
In a six-month pilot partnership, Tommy Hilfiger will offer a collection of past and current styles across its womenswear, footwear, and accessories ranges for rent at resale prices via the My Wardrobe HQ website.
“We’re working toward an inclusive and circular future for fashion,” Esther Verburg, executive vice president sustainable business and innovation at Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe, the parent company of the brand and Calvin Klein, said in a statement. “As part of our vision, we have set ambitious targets on circularity, vowing to be fully circular by 2030.”
Tommy Hilfiger x My Wardrobe HQ
Sacha Newall, cofounder and chief executive officer of MWHQ, says Tommy Hilfiger is a “heritage brand that has appeal across all markets.”
The announcement builds on recent sustainability efforts at Tommy Hilfiger. Last month, the label announced a partnership with Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes on the sustainable collection, Classic Reborn.
“I’ve always been inspired by Tommy and the iconic brand he built, and I’m excited to share our journey together with my fans,” Mendes said in a statement.
“Everyone has a role to play in creating a more sustainable future and I’m inspired to see what we can achieve. I look forward to learning from each other, exploring how creative reimagination can have a positive effect on the fashion industry, and sharing what living more sustainably means to me.”
That partnership will also include tour offsets for Mendes’ world tour and a SS23 collection co-designed by Mendes using all recycled or bio-based materials.
Tommy Hilfiger launched denim made with 100 percent recycled cotton in 2019. This summer, the label will launch shirts made from regenerated fiber called Infinna, made by Finland-based Infinited Fiber Company. It uses textile waste as well as cardboard and wheat for its sustainable fibers.
Last December, Tommy Hilfiger parent company PVH announced that it was participating in the sustainable fashion coalition launched by New York’s Ecovative. The company works with mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, to displace unsustainable materials such as leather and foam.
“As circular business is still relatively new to us, we use small pilots like this to help us test different propositions and gain insights into finding the right solutions, and our path to scale,” Verburg said.
Tommy Hilfiger is also expanding its inclusivity efforts with the range. The size-inclusive offering will extend to size U.K. 22. “Rental is the perfect opportunity to start testing the market appetite for a full range of sizes. Designer brands historically have stopped at a size 16,” Newall said.
Last July, the label partnered with non-binary actor and activist Indya Moore on a capsule collection. In a statement, Moore say the capsule “breaks a cycle and sets a new standard across the industry.” The actor said that too many people are “made to feel that something is wrong with them just for being themselves.”
“It means everything to me to know that with our capsule, no one is made to feel wrong or different or broken. Everyone works perfectly for this collection, no matter who they are,” they said.
Rental and resale markets
Rental and resale are two key emerging markets in fashion sustainability. Last December, British luxury label Burberry announced a partnership with My Wardrobe HQ—it’s first foray into selling secondhand.
“Our partnership with My Wardrobe HQ is complementary to our broader strategy to become climate positive by 2040, supporting the principles of a circular economy for luxury,” Pam Batty, Burberry VP of corporate responsibility, told Vogue Business. “This includes expanding reuse, repair, donation and recycling routes and developing new partnerships and revaluation solutions.”
According to WWD, My Wardrobe HQ, which is currently only operating in the U.K., has a celebrity following, including models Arizona Muse, and Poppy and Chloe Delevingne. Sustainability champion Carrie Johnson married British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a Christos Costarellos embroidered tulle gown she rented for £45 from the platform.
My Wardrobe HQ was recognized by Walpole, the official sector body for U.K. luxury, in its Class of 2021: Brands of Tomorrow list. The company also supports the U.K. charity, Smart Works, donating 45 percent of profits from each transaction to the group that supports underprivileged women.
Rent the Runway, the leading fashion rental platform in the U.S., announced today that it was partnering with popular travel platform Kayak on its wedding hacks edition. The partnership will see Kayak help brides and wedding guest find outfits via the platform and offer first-time renters a 25 percent discount.
“We’re all ready to be out celebrating again, but as we simultaneously contend with price hikes across the board, Rent the Runway offers an undeniably smarter, more affordable, more convenient and more fun way to get dressed,” Jennifer Hyman, CEO and Co-Founder of Rent the Runway, said in a statement.
Sales of secondhand fashion are expected to surpass $82 billion by 2026—outpacing fast fashion— according to a recent report from resale platform ThredUp.
