Shoppers who visit the Madewell store in Brooklyn will find a surprise if they head up to the location’s second floor. Madewell has collaborated with popular online used clothing retailer thredUP to create the “Circular Store”—an assortment of pre-owned Madewell products as well as repaired garments and donated clothing.
The Circular Store is not a permanent fixture, but it’s meant to help the two major fashion brands explore how circularity can be incorporated into the business models of all modern clothing companies.
ThredUP collects and posts thousands of used clothing items on their online storefront. According to the company, Madewell textiles are some of their most popular items, prompting the partnership. This isn’t their first collaboration. In 2019, Madewell began selling used jeans from thredUP in select stores, and in 2020, the company began selling used products online through their thredUP-powered site, Madewell Forever.
Through this new New York-based partnership, thredUP handles the acquisition and processing of used goods while Madewell tackles in-store merchandising. At the Circular Store, customers can also learn how to care for their garments so they last as long as possible and chat with experts from Patagonia who have been brought in to offer workshops on upcycling and repairing clothes.
The Circular Store is slated to run through the end of October, with plans to expand it to other locations in the near future. For customers, the benefits include a roughly 30 percent discount on gently used Madewell items as well as the peace of mind that their shopping is taking less of a toll on the environment. To learn more about the sustainable fashion movement, check out our articles on green fashion and curbing your fast fashion habit.
