INTERVIEW #14 YAYTRADE
“After all, as much as 35% of all supply chain materials end up in waste before a garment reaches the consumer. Part of that waste comes from samples and overstock. Something that we want to change.”
What's Yaytrade's story?
Yaytrade was founded in 2017 by the two friends David Knape och Jon Berglund with the vision to become a new bold platform and marketplace for premium second-hand items.
But a lot has happened since…
Now, we’ve segmented the product range to only focus on premium fashion, which of course provides a lot of benefits for our customers.
One of the biggest challenges the fashion industry is facing today is to keep clothes in the loop for as long as possible, in order to minimize waste. Besides the obvious that a garment's lifetime gets extended through second hand when passing it over to a new owner, clothes from premium brands tend to be made out of better quality fabrics which automatically will make the garment last longer and makes it possible to resell again and again and again.
In 2020, Yaytrade launched Brand Sales, a fast-growing B2B solution where we help premium brands to sell their overstock, samples, and returns by making it digital and accessible for consumers. After all, as much as 35% of all supply chain materials end up in waste before a garment reaches the consumer. Part of that waste comes from samples and overstock. Something that we want to change.
“We see Yaytrade as a good alternative for both consumers and influencers who wants to take the first step towards circular consumption. Our vision is to encourage all people - both consumers, influencers, and companies - to make more circular choices in their everyday life.”
What products do you sell?
The selection of clothes is widely spread with the common thing; premium clothes and accessories, for both men and women. Yaytrade is a marketplace that offers a great mix of products to consumers that are looking for a more circular way of upgrading their wardrobes and consuming fashion. Both consumers and influencers can sell their premium secondhand items within the fashion segment in a smooth way using Yaytrade pick-up service.
Additionally, Yaytrade is also a platform that partners with premium fashion brands and companies that want to sell overstocks, samples, and returns in a new and fast-growing way, by digitalizing physical pop-up stores and events related to that. Some of the brands Yaytrade represents are leading Swedish premium fashion brands such as; Filippa K, J Lindeberg, Rodebjer, Sail Racing, Flattered, Sandqvist, Whyred, Hope, and many more. All using their digitalized pop-up stores at Yaytrade’s marketplace.
How do you choose which influencers to collaborate with?
We see Yaytrade as a good alternative for both consumers and influencers who wants to take the first step towards circular consumption. Our vision is to encourage all people, both consumers, influencers, and companies - to make more circular choices in their everyday life.
Sometimes influencers contact us and want to give a new life to garments that they no longer use, something that we see as the first step towards a circular collaboration model, of course with the goal to inspire and make them reflect on consumption and to eventually take a second and even a third step towards becoming even more sustainable in the future.
At the end of the day, influencer marketing is about reaching the right target group and building a relationship with consumers. Yaytrade collaborates with many of the largest influencers in Sweden and Finland to reach different target groups. Our greatest mission is to reach consumers who might not has a previous relationship to second hand, with the goal to educate and open their eyes to the world of circularity, and hopefully, it will make them realise the importance and benefits of buying and selling second hand as well.
How do you work with the influencers to change their consumption behavior and marketing of newly produced products to a more circular one?
Just like any other consumer who chooses to shop and sell their garments second hand through Yaytrade, we don’t really have control or insights over how their consumption habits look like during the rest of the day. Once again, we hope that a collaboration together with Yaytrade will make influencers reflect over consumption and inspire them to take a second and even a third step towards circular consumption. If they also communicate more circular alternatives to fashion in their social media channels, we hope that they in turn will be able to open the door to second hand and circular fashion for their audience as well. Additionally, our ambassadors can also choose to donate their profit to a charity of their choice. Besides selling badass pre-loved pieces, we want to do more to help the world!
Sania Claus Demina and Christian Skogsgårdh
“We cannot take responsibility for individual actions but we can inspire to change purchasing behaviors and we will always be proud of our ambassadors using Yaytrade to do so.”
How do you navigate around the fact influencers are given a lot of clothes and materials they never use? What’s your role, policy and responsibility in being a platform that sell their items?
When it comes to influencer gifting and send-outs of clothing and products in general we believe that it’s up to each influencer to take their responsibility and communicate with the brands with who they chose to collaborate with. Then we have the sender, in this case, the brands sending out these gifts and clothes that also need to take their responsibilities in this issue.
At Yaytrade, we think of true influencers as innovators and early adopters. Their forward-thinking makes them the trendsetters, and in turn, attracts an engaged audience. Circularity is becoming both a required product attribute for a new generation of shoppers as well for influencers and brands to cater millennials. Our responsibility is to enable them to make the first change from a linear to a circular partnership. We believe every person can be a change maker. We cannot take responsibility for individual actions but we can inspire to change purchasing behaviors and we will always be proud of our ambassadors using Yaytrade to do so.
“Consumers today seek transparency in every step of the process such as materials, production, working rights, shipping, collaborations, and of course the company’s values.”
What do you believe is “greenwashing” and what can producers and consumers do to avoid it?
As a result of global consumers increasingly becomes more “environmentally-conscious,” we see a growing will in general for companies to take this seriously and take further actions. Greenwashing has become a huge problem, confuses and makes it hard for consumers to separate a product or company that actually is ’green’ from one that has simply been greenwashed, but we see a start of a change here.
Transparency and honesty are two words that companies need to value when marketing in 2021. Consumers today seek transparency in every step of the process such as materials, production, working rights, shipping, collaborations, and of course the company’s values. Something that we, at Yaytrade are working on daily.
What has been and are the major challenges?
At Yaytrade we always face challenges when it comes to getting the word out for a more circular way of consumption. Although, we say major and impressive steps being taken from many consumers, influencers and not at least all companies out there that have understood and are on their way changing production, raising ethical questions and their way of producing less and selling more, while also do all of it in a more circular way. It is still a lot to do, a lot of companies and consumers must re-think and become more circular in many aspects. It is not too late to start acting, even a small step can make a big impact.
What has been/is the largest gains?
Yaytrade started out as a marketplace for second hand. And while our development team has been busy building the future’s online second hand experience, we also have curated partnerships with some of the most sought-after Scandi-fashion brands out there, enabling us to create a circular journey for consumers but also for brands. We think in circles and we see it as a big gain that the industry is moving towards circular fashion as well.
“To extend the lifetime of a garment, second hand is a really great solution, but we also have other services that will play an important role in the future, services that give us the opportunity to keep our clothes in our wardrobes for as long as possible.”
What do you think needs to change now in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
We have already come a long way, but even if there has been a change in the attitude among consumers and even brands there is still (of course) room for further improvements.
At Yaytrade we believe in meeting the needs of today without compromising with the needs of tomorrow - meaning that we need to stay open-minded and listen to our customers, not least upcoming generations such as Gen Z that have proven to be one of the most environmentally conscious generations so far and offer them high-quality products without damaging their future.
To extend the lifetime of a garment, second hand is a really great solution, but we also have other services that will play an important role in the future, services that give us the opportunity to keep our clothes in our wardrobes for as long as possible. In our latest interview together with Sustainable Rebel Johanna Leymann, Johanna said some really wise words; ”If the industry today sells six pairs of jeans, in a few years it will sell a pair of jeans six times. We will look at our own wardrobes this way as well. We’ll buy more services and fewer products by renting, borrowing, repairing, caring for, and reusing garments”.
What would you advice consumers to do who seeks to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?
Look over your consumption habits, ask yourself, where and to what companies does my money go? For how long and for how many times will I be able to wear this garment that I want to buy?
A great start to becoming more sustainable, especially if you are new to it, is to try sourcing what you’re looking for in a more circular way, through second hand or overstock before buying it brand new - We promise that you’ll find it 9 of 10 times.
Besides buying circular, there are today so many other great alternatives as well, and not just when it comes to fashion, educate yourself and try to explore more alternative services and products.