So, love it or loathe it, the Love Island class of 22 are looking on trend again this summer. But did you know that this series is going greener, with its style collaborations using second-hand clothes in place of fast fashion brands? Plus, in a nod to newer styles, a premium sunglasses retailer, to keep the islanders’ eyes shielded from the Spanish sunshine.
Yes, Love Island has collaborated with online auction site eBay for its clothes, and sunnies label Quay Australia’s shades are being rocked by all the contestants on the programme.
The good news is, it’s easy to purchase the islanders’ sunnies and find out which ones were seen on the show. Their website has marked relevant pairs ‘as seen on Love Island’. Simple. Most sunglasses in the collection hover around the £49 price point.
You’ve likely spotted Gemma Owen wearing this style – a classic aviator. You can get them in a bunch of different frame and lens colours, and they even come in a blue light blocking version.
A popular style in the villa, Tasha, Paige, and Indiyah have all been spotted wearing this pair; an oversized cat eye with a chain-style detailing on the arms.
Back to the clothes – has Love Island’s slow fashion approach inspired us to shop sustainably – or could the show have done more? And do you like their retro Y2K “bought on e-Bay” image?
From vintage Versace platforms for Tasha, upcycled Calvin Klein for Danica and a preloved floral Gucci shirt for Luca – the Islanders have been looking stylish while promoting slow fashion to the masses. Cut out dresses, opera gloves and ‘fish-flops’ – everything is dead cheap or second hand.
While it’s great they’ve moved away from fast fashion as a main sponsor, Love Island could push the fact the clothes are second hand and openly speak about it more on the show.’
Going Sustainable is great and Love Island partnering up with eBay is brilliant, but I feel like eBay hasn’t received anywhere near as much coverage as the sponsors of previous seasons.
In previous series, one can usually buy the exact items worn by each Islander the very same evening of an episode via the app, and the sponsor, before the title sequence has previously been the brand of clothing they all wear.
I do believe it’s a step in the right direction and the fact preloved fashion is being showcased on such an influential show is amazing progress, I just hope people get on board and see the potential in pre-loved.
