This New Resale Program Wants Your Old Madewell Jeans

Resale is having a boom right now. With the help of sites like Depop, Tradesy, and The RealReal people are gravitating toward used apparel, prompting more retailers and luxury brands to embrace secondhand. Madewell is the latest to join the movement. 

On Tuesday, the retailer announced a new partnership with thredUP, an online consignment and thrift store, that will include a resale program for customers. Titled “Madewell Forever,” the program will offer shoppers the opportunity to trade in their existing Madewell jeans for store credit. Shoppers will also be able to buy other secondhand denim pieces from the brand’s “Pre-Loved” section. 

But customers can also bring in any non-Madewell denim pieces that will then be reviewed by thredUP. Pieces that are deemed sellable will be available on thredUP’s site, while others will be sent to the Blue Jeans Go Green Program to be recycled. For each pair donated, a customer will receive $20 in store credit to use on full-price Madewell denim.

“Madewell and thredUP recognize the need to act with urgency to address the climate crisis,” read a press release from Madewell. “As a retailer, Madewell has made it their mission to enact long-term commitments that will further sustainable and circular practices across the business.”

According to thredUP’s 2021 Resale Report, over 34 billion items of clothing are thrown away each year. Madewell is hoping to capitalize on the current popularity of secondhand clothing to counter that trend (the partnership hopes to collect up to one million pairs of denim by 2023). The same report showed that, over the past year, 40% of millennials and Gen Z shoppers have bought secondhand clothing, pushing more companies, like Mara Hoffman, Isabel Marant, Lululemon, and Nordstrom to launch resale programs. 

“Madewell Forever” includes a full range of sizes, according to the brand, and has launched with over 3,000 pairs of secondhand denim, available between $30 and $45. Whether you’re a defender of skinny jeans or a fan of straight-leg denim, here are a few options you can shop now.