The RealReal Partners With Gucci For Sustainability Effort

The reCommerce luxury marketplace The RealReal announced a unique partnership this week, linking up with Gucci through the end of the year to launch an online shop featuring used Gucci items and promote a sustainable, circular economy for luxury fashion.

The partnership gives Gucci additional visibility on The RealReal, as luxury brands continue to find a way to jump-start sales during the pandemic. According to the company, Gucci is one of the most in-demand luxury brands with strong growth in resale demand, which is up 19 percent this year. It is the most in-demand men’s brand on The RealReal for the third year in a row. Gucci also attracts strong resale value for consignors, with clothing value measured at 2.3x higher than average compared to all brands sold on the site.

“Gucci is raising the bar not only for the fashion industry, but for all companies by continuously innovating to make its business more sustainable,” said Julie Wainwright, founder and CEO of The RealReal. “Together, we’re shining a global spotlight on resale that we hope will encourage all consumers to support the circular economy and join us in reducing fashion’s carbon footprint.”

The partnership addresses one of The RealReal’s missions, which is to support a sustainable economy. For all Gucci purchases or U.S. consignments made through The RealReal, the companies will plant a tree through the nonprofit One Tree Planted. This will support the company’s reforestation efforts in the Amazon rainforest and in the California forests damaged during this year’s wildfire season.

“The inherent longevity of luxury products supports a circular economy and, by joining forces with The RealReal, Gucci is promoting this avenue to extend the life of its products even further,” said the company in a statement. “To date, consignment of women’s and men’s Gucci clothing on The RealReal has saved 230 metric tons of carbon and 10+ million liters of water, as compared to the environmental costs of manufacturing those items for the first time.”

The RealReal recently released sales and demand data from more than 17 million members, its first report during the pandemic. The data show that its shoppers doubled down on safer investments from established luxury brands and categories rather than cheaper, lower-value items. For example, high-value jewelry sales grew 22x more than low-value, while high-value handbag sales grew 2.4x more than low-value.

For the second year in a row, Gucci and Louis Vuitton remain the most in-demand brands within luxury resale. Louis Vuitton beat Gucci to take the No. 1 spot for the first time, led by a surge in demand from millennials and Gen Zers, as both brands continued to strengthen their lead over No. 3 brand Chanel.

“In a bright spot during these difficult times, brands, shoppers and consignors alike are engaging in the circular economy,” said Rati Levesque, COO and head of merchandising for The RealReal. “Gen Z, millennials and men are the new faces of luxury shopping, and the brands in tune with what they want are rising to the top.”