Today, eBay has announced it has officially ‘recoupled’ with Love Island for the show’s ninth season, in order “to continue to drive conversations and encourage shoppers to think pre-loved first.” With news that Maya Jama is taking over the reins from Laura Whitmore as host, this is shaping up to be one series to (guilty pleasure) watch.
Last series, the online marketplace became Love Island’s first ever pre-loved fashion partner, replacing the traditional fast fashion brands that have been associated with the show, with the aim of sparking a movement to inspire a more conscious way of shopping.
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eBay tapped Tasha Ghouri to become their 'Pre-loved Ambassador' last year
New research from ITV revealed that 53 percent of Love Island viewers who were aware of the eBay partnership said they’d bought pre-loved in the past three months as a result, which is more than double the amount for those who hadn’t watched or been aware of the partnership.
“If research figures were extrapolated to population level, an estimated 2.7 million people say they are making more effort to shop sustainably as a result,” eBay explained in a statement, “As part of a move away from fast fashion on the show, viewers at home followed suit and since the announcement, eBay UK has seen 1600% more searches for ‘pre-loved clothes’. There have also been 24 percent more new circular fashion businesses that joined the online marketplace.”
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Former Cosmopolitan fashion director Amy Bannerman will once again be sourcing second-hand fashion from eBay for the Islanders to wear in the new series. Back in 2022 the celebrity stylist was thrilled to have received an email "completely out of the blue" about a mystery project, and she jumped at the chance when she found out about the "incredible pairing" that would be taking place between Love Island and eBay. "I was shocked in the best possible way," Amy told Hello! Fashion. "I think there's been a want for change for ages, and people are becoming more disenchanted with the whole fast fashion model." Alongside pre-loved clothes, for the first time, a selection of pre-loved, authenticated sneakers and items from eBay’s Imperfects range will also be heading to the villa wardrobe.
“We’re so excited to be returning to the Love Island villa in this series to put pre-loved fashion, centrestage,” revealed Kirsty Keoghan, Global GM of Fashion at eBay, “The partnership has already shown its impact with Islanders and our Pre-loved Ambassador Tasha Ghouri demonstrating their true style and flair with pre-loved looks. We’re very excited to continue this conversation and show the nation how good pre-loved really can look.”
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