Fabletics Enters Resale Marketplace With thredUP Partnership
On Monday, Fabletics joined the growing list of fashion brands that are bringing resale in-house, reports Glossy. The program, launched in partnership with thredUP, allows Fabletics' customers to mail pre-owned clothing to the brand and receive store credit for any item deemed re-sellable. Customers can package Fabletics' clothes and non-Fabletics' clothes together, all of which will either be resold through thredUP or recycled.
Fabletics resale will be available in-store and online. Customers can request a kit from Fabletics online or pick up the cleanout kits from Fabletics’ stores. Customers fill the kit with clothes they want to sell and thredUP will assess the contents. Notably, customers selling clothes to thredUP, whether Fabletics clothes or not, can choose to receive a payout in Fabletics store credit, which will be 15 percent more than a cash payout.
Total Retail's Take: Fabletics is merging consumer interest in resale with a customer acquisition tool. The athletics brand is using resale platform thredUP as a means of getting new customers interested in Fabletics by offering store credit as a payment option for any customer selling any brand of clothing to the resale marketplace. This could be intriguing for consumers who want to try the athletics brand for the first time, or Fabletics loyalists looking to turn unwanted clothing into apparel from a favorite brand.
Fabletics also joins a number of brands offering a direct route for resale to appeal to price-conscious shoppers who may not be able to afford full-price items, as well as meeting consumer demand for sustainable, circular apparel models. The only hurdle I foresee with this new resale program is how willing customers will be to purchase already-worn athletic apparel. However, according to Glossy, thredUP data shows that activewear — and Fabletics’ apparel, in particular — was already selling well on the platform prior to this partnership. With no apparent downside to offering resale options for consumers, Fabletics program with thredUP looks promising.
Kristina Stidham is the digital content director at Total Retail and sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality at NAPCO Media. She is passionate about digital media and handles video, podcast and virtual event production for all brands. You can often find her at WIRLC, TR, WLT&H or industry events with her camera and podcasting equipment—or at home on Zoom—recording interviews with thought leaders and business executives.
Kristina holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production from the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication in Philadelphia. Go Owls! When she's not in the office, she loves to go on long walks, sing around the house, hangout with her family and two pet guinea pigs, and travel to new places.
