ThredUp, Madewell opens new ‘circular store’ in Brooklyn

Resale specialist ThredUp, and premium denim brand Madewell announced the launch of ‘A Circular Store,’ a unique physical shopping experience in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, featuring secondhand Madewell pieces sourced from thredUP and designed to educate consumers on the importance of keeping clothes in use.

The store is a limited-edition expansion of Madewell Forever, the online denim resale experience that began in July, and it’s the first time shoppers can shop a comprehensive selection of preloved Madewell, fix, and alter items, as well as responsibly pass them on — all in one location.

Erin Wallace, VP of Integrated Marketing at thredUP, said that the fashion business has functioned on a linear, throwaway model for far too long. They’ve created a store to symbolize the future of fashion: a cyclical future in which retailers design for durability and consumers shop for resale. They hope that visitors will depart feeling motivated and with the knowledge they need to make more sustainable wardrobe choices. They believe that combining retail and resale is a vital next step toward realizing their vision of a circular fashion future.

This extension of thredUP and Madewell’s continuing cooperation shows what a more circular future for fashion would look like if we all reused and discarded less.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the fashion sector is on course to absorb 26% of the world’s carbon budget by 2050. thredUP and Madewell think that the future of fashion must change from a linear to a more circular paradigm in order to truly lessen the impact of fashion on the environment. They’re demonstrating how we can modify the way we buy, wear, and care for our garments to reduce fashion waste, and they’re creating a model for consumers and other retailers to follow.

Liz Hershfield, SVP, Head of Sustainability at Madewell, said that the fashion business was not designed with sustainability in mind, but with our planet’s future at stake, we must all do better. Madewell creates high-quality, long-lasting items, and they’re doubling down on solutions that keep clothing in circulation for as long as possible while reducing waste. They’re thrilled to be working with thredUP to debut this shop idea, which will serve as a model for other retailers looking to incorporate circularity into their business models. They’re honored to continue collaborating with thredUP to assist the fashion sector move closer to circularity.