“Love Island” will be back on our screens on June 6 as a new batch of singletons get ready for eight weeks of romance, recoupling, and red hot drama. While finding their ‘type on paper’ might be at the heart of the show, it’s known for serving some fierce fashion, too.
This year, in a surprising twist, the show has dumped fast-fashion partnerships, like previous sponsors I Saw It First and Missguided, in order to couple up with the more eco-friendly option, eBay. For “Love Island” 2022, celebrity stylist Amy Bannerman has instead created tailored styling boxes for each Islander as well as a shared wardrobe of preloved clothes for them to wear throughout the show.
Designer labels including Moschino, Saint Laurent, and Prada have been sent to the Majorcan villa ahead of the new series – including a Versace dress from the same collection as that famous palm-print J Lo dress. And, while I’m expecting to see these mixed with high-street labels, buying preworn items not only extends their lifespan, reducing the amount of clothing going to landfill, but should help to slow down the rapid rate of production, too.
Looking for ways to shop more sustainably is essential. Oxfam reported that 13 million items of clothing go to UK landfills weekly, but there are ways you can contribute to the circular economy. Last year, thanks to eBay, 17,770 tons of fashion items – the equivalent of 1,404 double-decker buses – were saved from this fate.
Preloved fashion is on the rise, with the online marketplace seeing one fashion sale every second so far in 2022, and partnering with “Love Island” will open up conversations around our shopping habits further. According to eBay, a fifth of Brits now buy more second-hand items than they did two years ago. And people aged 18-34 are leading the way with on average 22 per cent of their wardrobes being preworn compared to just 12 per cent for those over 55. Saving money, helping the planet, and wanting something original all topped the list for reasons to swap to preloved, and now “Love Island” is encouraging more of us to get in on the action.
I have been on the preloved bandwagon for a while. My first job at age 14 was working weekends (on a volunteer basis) in an Age UK charity shop. So, coupled with my lockdown love of eBay, I have become somewhat of a pro for sourcing preloved gems. I’m excited to see the Islanders individual style take precedent this season, but just how easy is it to emulate typical “Love Island” looks via eBay? I set out to create three outfits with a budget of just £50. Scroll through to see what I found.
Tagged: ITV, Love Island, Reality TV, Sustainable fashion