Controversy over the eBay x Love Island Party
After announcing that it was coupling up with eBay this year, Love Island hosted an eBay party in the villa. The ‘Shimmer and Shine’ theme saw islanders rock up in glittery pre-loved looks for the first time every in Love Island history. The islanders got to choose their outfits from a shared wardrobe in the villa, but not all viewers were happy with the result.
Image courtesy of eBay
The sponsor themed party is designed to increase sales for the fashion partner of Love Island. During the Shimmer and Shine party and for the following day, Love Island shared a discount code with viewers. On Twitter, the Love Island account tweeted “Find the pre-love of your life & couple up with 15% off pre-loved fashion’ using the code PAY15LESS. Promoting viewers to buy more clothes may not be the most sustainable, however we appreciate that viewers will buy more clothes regardless, so it may as well be second hand.
However, some viewers were shocked by the outfits that islanders are wearing in comparison to the fast fashion outfits in previous years.
But how do we feel about this response, as strong advocates for sustainable fashion? From the very beginning, we hoped that the eBay x Love Island collaboration would encourage more conscious shopping from the British public. It’s inevitable that viewers will be encouraged to buy more through watching the show, as watching islanders in different outfits each day inspires you to refresh your own wardrobe. In fact, in 2018, Missguided sales rocketed by 40% during its sponsorship with Love Island. However, we need to ensure that the pre-loved looks shown encourage viewers to redirect their money away from fast fashion.
There are many garments that can be bought on eBay. They may all be sustainable, but let’s be honest, they aren’t all gems. The Shimmer and Shine party brought out a few looks that didn’t dazzle viewers, and appeared to be more dated. The looks that will grab viewers’ attention and wallets are the truly timeless looks, which will last them a lifetime. We hope that eBay and Love Island can really capture these throughout their sponsorship.