Love Island credited with inspiring people to ditch fast fashion
British shoppers appear to have been inspired by Love Island’s decision to ditch fast fashion in its latest series.
A new survey of 2,000 people suggested that nearly half (48 per cent) are turning towards more eco-friendly shopping habits, such as buying pre-loved clothing or from sustainable brands.
The research was undertaken after the latest series of Love Island began in early June.
It was announced ahead of the series that this year’s contestants will wear second-hand clothes after the ITV show announced a partnership with eBay UK.
It marked the first time the show has partnered with a pre-loved clothing company.
Love Island usually partners with fast fashion brands such as I Saw It First and Missguided. Contestants often go on to become ambassadors for these brands.
However, the producers said the show was committed to becoming a “more eco-friendly production”, as the climate crisis wears on.
The fashion industry has a massive and detrimental impact on the environment, with more than 92 million tonnes of waste produced per year.
The latest survey, carried out by online tutoring platform Superprof, bolsters research by eBay that found that 20 per cent of Britons buy more second-hand fashion now compared to two years ago.
Former Love Island contestant, who is also a sustainable fashion activist, said the findings were “very promising news”.
“It’s early days of the show and the inauguration of second-hand fashion replacing fast fashion as the main sponsor of Love Island,” he said.
“We still have many more adverts to go, as well as waiting to see how the new wave of influencers choose to make their mark on social media following the show.
“The impact Love Island has socially and culturally in the UK is huge, as well as setting precedent for other popular TV shows, so I’m still optimistic as to which other shows might change their sponsorship and where this all goes in the next few months.”
In February, Staniland joined protesters in staging a demonstration outside Molly-Mae Hague’s Pretty Little Thing (PLT) fashion show in London.
He also regularly uses his social media to raise awareness about the impact of fast fashion.
