Today, eBay UK announces Tom Clare as its latest Pre-Loved Ambassador, in a partnership that hopes to move the fast fashion conversation along to tackle menswear, as over half (51%) of males admit to never or very rarely purchasing second-hand clothing.
The collaboration is a natural move for eBay, welcoming an Islander that embraced pre-loved throughout his time on the show and served stylish looks night after night.
With shoppers able to divert 6,000 tonnes from landfill by buying one pre-loved fashion item instead of new a month - and three in four males (75%) agreeing that men have an equal role to play in the fight against fast-fashion - the partnership aims to expand the pre-loved conversation into menswear whilst continuing to inspire the nation to make more conscious fashion choices.
Photographed in pre-loved brands and designers including YSL, COS, and vintage Levi’s, Tom’s new role will involve curating eBay edits of his favourite pre-loved pieces to help inspire both men and women when it comes to shopping second hand.
This comes as searches for men's pre-loved clothing on eBay UK are up almost 100% compared to last year, showing the nations’ growing appetite across the board.
Talking about his new role, Tom Clare said:“I’ve always been into fashion and making sure the outfits I put together look good. Going into the villa I was buzzing as I knew there would be clothes in there from brands that I really love, like Reiss, Prada, Palace and COS. All the boys had so much fun getting ready in the evenings, going through eBay’s pre-loved shared wardrobe and chatting about what we were going to wear. I do really think wearing pre-loved gives you the chance to explore and create your own unique style - and by working with eBay I hope we can inspire more men to be more experimental in their fashion and pick pre-loved first.”
Not only did he capture the hearts of the nation, but it was Tom’s natural flair for fashion that caught the eye of eBay’s Pre-Loved Fashion Stylist Amy Bannerman, who noted: “Throughout the show we saw Tom constantly reaching into eBay’s pre-loved wardrobe to build his looks - he really does have a natural affinity for styling and his love of clothes is evident. Tom is experimental with the pieces he chooses and I love that wears everything in such a relaxed way, even when he’s in more dressed up combinations. We saw him wear timeless high-street brands, as well as some of the designer and vintage pieces I picked out - including a range of classic bomber jackets, vintage denim and even a few of the more statement shirts. I think it’s so important that this partnership is getting men more involved in the pre-loved conversation, particularly as they tend to pick out less trend-based pieces compared to females. I’m so excited to see Tom’s style evolve.”
With searches for ‘pre-loved fashion’ on eBay increasing by 1400% compared to last series, it’s clear the show is continuing to have an impact on shopping second-hand.
Kirsty Keoghan, Global GM of Fashion at eBay said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Tom to expand the conversation around pre-loved into menswear. With Tom championing pre-loved in the villa night after night, it felt like a no-brainer for him to join Tasha in helping our mission to change the way consumers shop for clothes. It’s fantastic to see more of an interest in pre-loved menswear, with searches for men's pre-loved clothing up almost 100% on eBay compared to last year, but there is still so much more to be done - regardless of our gender, we all have a part to play to slow down fashion.”