Gucci already officially sells on the second-hand market so you can have the most vintage of Gucci and take care of the environment at the same time

*This article on Gucci originally appeared in the US edition of GQ.

The fashion industry used to treat excess clothing as a cursed commodity. Some luxury homes put up thunderous bonfires, using the leftover material as multimillion-dollar tinder.

But thanks to eco-conscious shoppers, and their appreciation for (older) clothing, that mindset is changing. Gucci, which is known for taking designer Alessandro Michele's interest in the old — ancient palaces, century-old portraits and flea market treasures — and producing something fantastically new, has launched a partnership with TheRealReal to resell its own second-hand (“pre-owned”) work. -loved,” in TRR parlance) on the platform and encourage others to do the same.

The association will incentivize people to resell their Gucci products by promising to plant a tree for every consigned item, and in particular will also form a direct channel between the house and the secondary market where their products have long been traded. without a penny ending up in Gucci's pocket. Therefore, Gucci itself will be moving items, including, for example, those used in the photo shoot and campaign for this very partnership, directly through TheRealReal.

What we're witnessing is a sea change in the way shoppers and brands think about used clothing. Like the drops model, which has been largely embraced by the fashion world's upper tier, the official resale is just another sign that luxury brands have borrowed from streetwear (here they've even gone a step further). further by owning how items move on the secondary market).

Resale heavyweights like Supreme and Nike are proof that getting clothes moving in the secondary market can be a good thing rather than a hit. Seeing the old Jordans sell well only makes people want them more. “The smart, bold, and early adopter brands see that having a resale value for their item only encourages someone to buy it in the primary market,” says Allison Sommer, TheRealReal's senior director of strategic initiatives. Sommer points out that being officially behind used clothing also makes a strong statement about the quality of the clothes they produce: Your newly purchased Gucci product will be in such high demand in the future, the project implies, that only you will own it first.