May 19, 2021
Shopping destination Bicester Village may be best known for its discounted luxury brands, but now
the outlet centre is also moving into the pre-loved segment in a link-up with Worn.
Launching on May 28, it will be its “first pre-loved pop-up of waitlisted designer items”.
Recommerce platform Worn will provide shoppers visiting the most popular outlet centre in the UK access to pre-owned items from labels such as Alaïa, Emilio Pucci, Jacquemus, Ganni and more.
It’s part of a wider trend that has seen a number of luxury names offering pre-owned pieces, including giant online platform Farfetch. As well as feeding consumer interest in more affordable designer fashion — something that’s at the heart of what Bicester Village is all about — such initiatives also sync with consumer interest in sustainability. Secondhand fashion is increasingly being pitched as a more eco-conscious approach to shopping that doesn’t use natural resources or create pollution.
Worn said it aims to “provide a more circular model to customers looking for designer items that have only recently left the shelves. The purpose, simply to remove the stigma around pre-owned items, encourage people to buy better, shop more sustainably and increase the life-cycle of their clothes”.
Co-founders Lily Fortescue and Bella Bunchanan launched Worn in their Kensington store back in 2009 and with online searches for vintage and other secondhand-linked keywords having surged last year, it clearly remains relevant today. Estimates suggest the secondhand clothing market could grow by 18% annually through to 2024.