Vestiaire Collective left mountains of clothes in front of the French Senate

Four days before the International Earth Day, the luxury resale platform Vestiaire Collective is continuing a project it started three years ago against textile waste. After banning fast fashion brands from its site in 2023, last year it launched a campaign to raise awareness among influencers about shopping hauls and how they can negatively influence consumers. Now, it has published striking images showing piles of used clothes stacked in front of some of the world’s most important political institutions, from the French Senate to the Capitol. With these images, Vestiaire Collective aimed to convey a sense of urgency, demonstrating how the issue of textile waste disposal affects the entire planet. The campaign is particularly relevant in France, which on March 14 promoted the Anti-Fast Fashion Bill, pending approval by the Senate in early June. Furthermore, although the European Union introduced new rules on textile waste recycling starting January 1, the regulatory rollback carried out by the Union in recent months has raised several doubts about its environmental commitment.

Another theme addressed by Vestiaire Collective's campaign is the repositioning of fast fashion brands within the accessible luxury sector. Through campaigns and collaborations with some of the most relevant creatives in the fashion system, brands like Zara and H&M are trying to reach a new segment of consumers — a strategic move that, for the resale platform, represents a major paradox since, although product pricing and communication have been elevated, the companies’ overproduction remains unchanged. According to the new proposal in France supported by Vestiaire Collective, by 2030 there could be surcharges of up to 10 euros for each garment considered “polluting,” a ban on advertising brands operating in the fast fashion industry, and limits on influencers promoting their activity. The platform’s new campaign images are inspired by a project from the Stop Fast Fashion Coalition, which last month dumped mountains of textile waste outside the French Senate as a form of protest.