Pre-loved arrives at Bicester Village as Worn opens

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 19, 2021

Shopping destination Bicester Village may be best known for its discounted luxury brands, but now the outlet centre is also moving into the pre-loved segment in a link-up with Worn.

Launching on May 28, it will be its “first pre-loved pop-up of waitlisted designer items”.

Recommerce platform Worn will provide shoppers visiting the most popular outlet centre in the UK access to pre-owned items from labels such as Alaïa, Emilio Pucci, Jacquemus, Ganni and more.

It’s part of a wider trend that has seen a number of luxury names offering pre-owned pieces, including giant online platform Farfetch. As well as feeding consumer interest in more affordable designer fashion — something that’s at the heart of what Bicester Village is all about — such initiatives also sync with consumer interest in sustainability. Secondhand fashion is increasingly being pitched as a more eco-conscious approach to shopping that doesn’t use natural resources or create pollution.

Worn said it aims to “provide a more circular model to customers looking for designer items that have only recently left the shelves. The purpose, simply to remove the stigma around pre-owned items, encourage people to buy better, shop more sustainably and increase the life-cycle of their clothes”.

Co-founders Lily Fortescue and Bella Buchanan launched Worn in their Kensington store back in 2009 and with online searches for vintage and other secondhand-linked keywords having surged last year, it clearly remains relevant today. Estimates suggest the secondhand clothing market could grow by 18% annually through to 2024.