Love Island, the popular UK based dating show is hitting screens in just a few weeks time!
The show has been a game-changer at propelling contestants to stardom by turning them into successful influencers.
Previously, sponsors for Love Island included the likes of Missguided and I Saw It First, however, in a recent statement given by executive producer Mike Spencer:
“We strive to be a more eco-friendly production, with more focus on ways in which we can show this on screen.”
The sudden rise of fast fashion brands, such as Boohoo, PLT and Shein in recent years have been somewhat do with Love Islanders’ fashion choices, who have been responsible for pushing a significant portion of UK sales.
Several of the shows contestants have impacted sales growth for particular companies simply by wearing one of their pieces in an episode. Last year, Millie Court (one of the finalist contestants) was highly influential through the outfits she wore.
In fact, according to The Guardian, ‘online searches for “marble dress” rose by 127% and searches for “hot pink co-ords” went up by 114% when she wore those items’.
Each episode almost gathers 3 million views, which goes on to delianate how impactful they actually are to their demographic.
Many Love Island individuals who come off the show, then get campaign deals and collaborations with many of these popular fast-fashion retailers.
Molly-mae, who was the runner up of Love Island Season 5 in 2019, also managed to completely sell out a dress that she wore in an episode in 10 minutes and further went on to become Creative Director for PrettyLittleThing (another popular fast-fashion retailer).
Her deal with PrettyLittleThing, who sells items that are trendy & in-style for very cheap, earns her a multi-million salary and a lot of scrutiny online.
Love Island partners with eBay
With all this being said, Love Island has made the decision to completely cut-ties with these types of brands that do not advocate for sustainability or are unethically immoral in their production and wellbeing of workers.
Instead, they have opted to side with online marketplace eBay and will be including a ‘shared wardrobe’ for the first time on the show, to promote the use of sharing clothing items and re-using worn pieces.
We have been grafting all winter… It’s time to bring the pre-love to Love Island ❤️
— eBay UK (@eBay_UK) May 19, 2022
Living the ‘eat, sleep, rewear repeat’ mentality, we will provide a shared wardrobe for the villa 🙌#eBayxLoveIsland #PreLoved
This summer, islanders will wear pre-loved clothes and shoes with a shared wardrobe located in the new villa for the first time ever to extend the life cycle of garments.
ITV producers believe that the iconic move will inspire viewers to make more environment conscious fashion choices.
“The impact of Love Island and its stars across the UK is undeniable and together we want to inspire the nation to choose pre-loved first when shopping,” mentioned Jemma Tadd, the Head of Fashion at eBay UK.
“Even if this means buying or selling one or two pre-loved items to start with, it’s a step in the right direction.”
Will this change their influencer power?
Although this is a fantastic initiative that the show is taking, it is however interesting to see as to whether or not this will have a negative effect on contestants winning brand deals when leaving the show.
Are these fast-fashion brands going to be less-inclined to work with them?
Will this years contestants not have as many opportunities in the field of influencer marketing as previous members?
I guess we will have to wait and find out!
What do you think of this move? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @itpliveme.