Madewell partners with ThredUP to launch denim resale program

US denim brand Madewell expands its partnership with second-hand fashion platform ThredUP by enabling shoppers to recycle denim and buy secondhand Madewell denim jeans.

Madewell Forever is a new platform that uses ThredUp’s resale-as-a-service (RaaS) to offer preloved women’s jeans a second life. The website already has over 3,000 items, with new styles being added hourly as they become available. Prices range between 35-50 dollars.

Customers can bring any brand of pre-worn jeans into Madewell stores and receive a $20 credit toward a pair of full-priced Madewell pants.

ThredUp sorts the goods and determines what may be resold, either on its own platform or, in the case of women’s Madewell denim, in select Madewell locations and on the new “Madewell Forever” site.

Denim that can’t be sold will be recycled through approved initiatives like Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green program.

Madewell hopes to collect one million pairs of denim through the platform by 2023, more than double what it has gathered in the previous six years through its existing denim trade-in program.

Madewell, which is owned by J.Crew Group, is the latest in a long line of well-known fashion brands and stores to partner with ThredUp in order to tap into the burgeoning resale market.

ThredUp, located in San Francisco, has partnered with brands including Vera Bradley, Abercrombie & Fitch, Reebok, and Rent the Runway in the last two years.

However, this will be the first time one of ThredUp’s RaaS clients has created a 360-resale platform that allows users to clean out their wardrobes while also shopping for used clothing.

Madewell claimed it collaborated closely with ThredUp to create a “one-of-a-kind, a white-labeled resale channel with a digital shop,” which it claims is “the first of its type enabled by ThredUp’s RaaS program.”

Libby Wadle, CEO of J.Crew Group, said that the launch will set a new standard for the fashion industry and inspire other businesses to join them in developing circular solutions that decrease retail’s environmental impact.

ThredUp co-founder and CEO, James Reinhart said that it’s wonderful to see a beloved company like Madewell trying to extend the life of their clothing and commit to a more circular fashion future. ThredUp’s operational platform will allow and build a substantial resale channel for Madewell via ‘Madewell Forever’.