Pre-Loved Island
Written by: Hannah Stoyanov, Communications Assistant @Threading Change
July 15th, 2025
[5-minute read]
Tonight… on Love Island… a new bombshell enters the villa. The hit reality show has once again recoupled with eBay UK to showcase pre-loved fashion. With Love Island’s cultural significance at an all-time global high, its USA counterpart is finally catching up to the UK original. The raunchy dating show has long been synonymous with a range of fast fashion brands, promoting ultra-fast consumption through shop-the-look features and brand deals for islanders. Like all past relationships prompt us to do, Love Island has grown and evolved, learning to leave the trash behind and start prioritizing quality over quantity – you go, girl.
While the UK franchise has been in a long-term relationship with eBay, being the primary clothing sponsor for the last six seasons and even entering the Love Island: All Stars spin-off, this impactful change has not yet made it across the pond. With the American islanders still predominantly sporting brands like Shein, PrettyLittleThing, and Fashion Nova, they’re a long way behind their UK counterparts. Not only does bringing second-hand clothing to mainstream media signify and promote a cultural turn away from fast fashion, it’s also reflective of the way an increasing number of people dress (McFarlane, BBC, 2022). The integration of sustainability into a globally popular series reflects the interests of consumers and challenges traditional norms, exemplifying that things can change not just in the periphery of culture, but can also emerge from the core. Although the show is not without its drawbacks in terms of consumption, bringing sustainability to prime time is an impressive step forward.
Dumping Fast Fashion
Can I pull you for a chat? It’s time to talk about the revolutionary steps Love Island UK has taken to promote circular practices. One of the main differences is the shared wardrobe of pre-loved clothing curated by eBay's Pre-Loved Style Director Amy Bannerman, which all islanders have access to throughout their stay (Hargreaves, Supply Chain Digital, 2025). Not only is there a large variety of vintage designer and off-the-rack clothes, “a selection of pre-loved, authenticated sneakers and items from its Imperfects range” are also included in the curated wardrobe (eBay, 2023). The ‘Imperfects’ range is an innovative addition that gives access to new items with slight defects or imperfections—like a scuff mark or loose thread—that would otherwise be discarded (eBay, 2023). This creative solution works to directly change the trajectory of these items, steering them away from landfills. This is a far cry from the allowances islanders were once given to spend on fast fashion clothing (Gaspar & Peacock, The Sun, 2022). In addition to these measures, clothing is later recoupled with secondhand seller, “Go Thrift, where they will be resold, or they will go to the charity shops that eBay works with” (Gaspar & Peacock, The Sun, 2022). Just like the contestants, the show is trying to leave toxic exes behind in pursuit of something greater.
Although all the clothes provided for the islanders are pre-loved and selected by eBay, they cannot prevent islanders from bringing their own items into the villa, which may be from fast fashion retailers (Ward, Glamour, 2022). Despite this, the shared wardrobe is encouraged by periodically refreshing it with new pre-loved items (Gariano, People, 2024). While the wardrobe is mixed with pre-loved designer and high-street, there is a conscious effort to avoid archetypal fast fashion brands. As Bannerman argues, “‘the whole reason we are doing this is to change this frantic fast fashion shopping. To include those brands would kind of undo that... it encourages people to buy it because you're styling it and making it look good’” (Ward, Glamour, 2022). Out of sight, out of mind. This sentiment reflects a genuine commitment to ditching fast fashion for good, not just from the island but from the greater cultural landscape. While not yet fully dumped, fast fashion is now single, and therefore, vulnerable.
Islanders Take
This shift is particularly symbolic because of the deep-rooted ties fast fashion has to the franchise and former islanders. Many legendary islanders have left the villa with partnerships waiting for them, such as Maura Higgins, who signed with Boohoo and Molly-Mae Hague, who became the creative director of PrettyLittleThing and now has her own brand, Maebe. The sustainable switch-up on Love Island has been praised by other former islanders like Brett Staniland, “who famously turned down the offer of free clothes in the villa and protested at Molly-Mae Hague's PrettyLittleThing fashion show in London” (Mellin, Closer, 2022). This wasn’t the only backlash Molly-Mae experienced; the launch of Maebe left her fans reeling as a result of the hefty price tags and lack of transparency around production and material use (Jobson, MSN, 2025). Despite this, she claims to have had a change of heart from her PrettyLittleThing past, no longer supporting fast fashion (Jobson, MSN, 2025). Similarly, Love Island alum, Olivia Attwood, admits that she regrets her fast fashion era the most, when she was “buying for mass rather than for quality” (Leslau, Hello Fashion, 2025). She now shows her support for pre-loved clothing by hosting eBay Live x Love Island, where fans can shop her curated rack of secondhand finds. Fast fashion’s getting dumped left, right, and centre.
Brett Staniland during Fashion Revolution Week
Love Island USA royalty, Leah Kateb, is one of the few pioneers of vintage we’ve seen on the American franchise, serving jaw-dropping pieces and curating a lasting identity throughout the villa and beyond. Her looks for season 6 set her apart and showcased the power of individualism in a sea of look-alikes. I mean, that vintage Roberto Cavalli dress in the Casa Amour recoupling? To die for. She’s an avid lover of all things vintage, being a huge advocate for resellers like The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective (Sessoms, Fashionista, 2024). Leah’s trend-setting style and infectious personality sparked the potential to integrate sustainability into the American franchise. Let’s hope her enthusiasm for pre-loved returns to the villa in the coming seasons.
From the Island to the Outside
With more and more people invested in the drama, Love Island’s cultural reach is unprecedented. Its lasting and far-reaching appeal has made the sustainable switch from fast fashion to eBay Pre-Loved “more than just a sponsorship; [but] a campaign to shift public perceptions of fashion” (Hargreaves, Supply Chain Digital, 2025). Since the announcement of this revolutionary partnership, eBay UK has seen a staggering 1600% more searches for ‘pre-loved clothes’(eBay, 2023). Promoting thrifted consumption is not merely aspirational but reflective of the way young people dress today. Pre-loved luxury consignment and thrifting apps have reached new heights, like the extremely popular app Depop, which “has more than 30 million active users, 90% of whom are under 26” (Laughton, Metro, 2022). The popularization of these platforms resonates with Love Island’s audience, and eBay’s role is keeping that momentum high. Integrating sustainable initiatives into mainstream spaces works to normalize responsible practices, while simultaneously promoting a platform that dedicates much of its efforts towards making circularity an accessible reality. That’s what we call a win-win. While the couples question whether they’ll make it on the outside, we hope this relationship goes the distance.
Exploring New Connections
Just like a new bombshell entering the villa, eBay’s partnership with Love Island has us all excited for what’s to come. While the American franchise remains coupled up with fast fashion, it’s iffy to say whether they’re closed off. For now, with islanders like Leah setting the tone for what it means to be stylish, we can slowly see the standards of Love Island USA shifting. The groundbreaking collaboration between Love Island UK and eBay is proof that sustainability can be brought to the mainstream in a way that feels as easy and organic as the right relationship. Much like Harry and Helena on Love Island UK series 12, their ‘undeniable connection’ may be rocky at the start, but well worth it in the end. The good things are worth fighting for. With the lasting success of this partnership, the time for Love Island USA to explore new connections is long overdue. These tried and true measures have the potential to bring a new audience into the world of pre-loved, reiterating that initial connections can quickly turn toxic (I’m looking at you, Huda and Jeremiah), and we must move on and move up. As with any new bombshell, let’s hope eBay does its job and shakes things up.
Love Island USA Season 7
Although there was no initial spark, the slow burn between Love Island and pre-loved is going strong. The unprecedented partnership between the mega-popular dating show and champion of circularity, eBay, has delivered more than just stylish looks, but a promising path forward. While this may not be your traditional couple, sustainability initiatives must be multilateral and diverse if they are to be effective. Intersecting with various facets, even if unexpected, shows the promise and ingenuity of incorporating sustainable practices at scale. Just like a budding relationship, steps need to be taken for growth – and sometimes that includes cutting off your toxic ex. Fast fashion’s tie to the hit TV franchise has been long lasting, but ultimately, we all know it’s not husband material. It’s likely polyester.
The proven success of Love Island UK and eBay has shown that supporting conscious fashion is the way forward, and that their American counterpart is lagging behind – big time. The steps taken to ensure circularity in the villa (as far as the wardrobe is concerned) are plausible changes that can be adapted and adopted to the USA franchise. Not only does the partnership reflect its audience, but it has also shown what’s possible when creative solutions are given a chance. We love a power couple.
Hannah Stoyanov
Hannah (she/her) is a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Sociology and minoring in Environment and Society. This unique blend has equipped her with a complex understanding of social relations that are rooted in respect, kindness, and building supportive solutions for communities. During her undergrad, she contributed as a member of the Environment and Society Council, demonstrating her commitment to sustainable objectives and environmental stewardship. As a strong advocate for circularity and climate literacy, Hannah has contributed work to publications such as Wear We Are Journal, an independent journal focused on the state of sustainability in fashion. With a deep interest in socio-environmental dynamics, she is dedicated to fostering equitable and sustainable outcomes across multiple scales.
