Love Island Ditch Fast Fashion: Why Is This A Good Move?

Tonight is the night. It's that time of the year again where we get to watch a bunch of singletons find love in the sun. Over the past three years, Love Island has been sponsored by fast fashion brand I Saw It First, with all clothing being brand new. This year, a new sponsor has entered the villa and the show is now sponsored by eBay. So, what changes does this mean for the islanders clothes this year?

WHERE WILL THE CLOTHES BE SOURCED FROM?

In comparison to all clothes being brand new in past years, this years islanders will be wearing secondhand clothing, provided by eBay. The items have been sourced from eBay themselves, charity shops and vintage stores. Within the mix, the islanders will be seen wearing some vintage designer pieces, including Gucci and Jacquemus.

Image source: eBay Instagram

In a recent post on Instagram, eBay shared the news that they are Love Islands new sponsor, highlighting a "eat, sleep, rewear, repeat" mentality for this years wardrobes. So, what exactly will the islanders be wearing when trying to find love in the villa.

WHAT WILL THEY BE WEARING?

In past years, the islanders have had their own clothing collections to choose from. This year, all islanders get to wear and share the clothes at the villa. This encourages the push for re-wearing clothes and sharing with your friends.

The clothes have been distributed into four themes, which are:

• Blurred lines

• Love Me Forever

• Y2K

• Dopamine Dressing

The Love Islanders will be encouraged to wear the clothes in different ways, with room for clothes swapping for the boys and the girls. The men also haven't been left out, with themselves getting a selection of secondhand clothing too.

Image source: eBay

Blurred lines is all about ending the stereotypes of men and women fashion encouraging the islanders to wear whatever they want. These include pink sheer shirts for boy and oversized shirts the islanders can wear as dresses around the villa. Fashion stylist Amy Bannerman says "before the fashion looked so samey, so I think we’ll see a real rise of people wanting to look different.”

The second theme, Love Me Forever spreads the message of rewearing your clothes and styling them in different ways to ensure you make the most of the clothes you already own. Forget one time wearing outfits, lets rewear those cute looks for years to come.

Now think back to the years of 2000, with Britney Spears being an icon of fashion in her denim look alongside Justin Timberlake. Well, these years of looks are injected to the Y2K theme for love island this year. Be sure to see denim looks, mini skirts and platform heels.

Last but not least, Dopamine Dressing is the final theme for this years summer of fun, a 2022 trend to encourage outfits that lift your mood. Open your eyes to colour, textures and prints around the villa for this hot new arrival.

Cheap, poor quality fast fashion clothing will no longer be entering the island of love, but appreciation of clothing that already exist will be carried. Thus, making it a positive step for communicating with an audience on the need for better practices in the fashion industry.

Let's hope this movement in reality TV will help spread a message for people to consider wearing secondhand and shop vintage fashion, stepping away from the realm of fast fashion.

Sabrina Cowper