Love Island ditches 'fast fashion'
- but is it enough?

Following this, it has been announced this week that Tasha Ghouri has become eBay’s first pre-loved ambassador after she was recognised on the show for her individual style and statement looks. 

She captioned her announcement post on Instagram saying – 

“I’d like to think that over the last 8 weeks I have shown that pre-loved serves up amazing looks while bringing out my personality! Watch this space, more will be revealed!”

Whilst this looks like a promising start, how much impact will it have in the long term? 

As with every year, the islanders were still allowed to take their own clothes into the villa, meaning we still saw the usual line-up of fast fashion brands like Pretty Little Thing, Oh Polly and other big names.

The producer’s decision to move towards pre-loved fashion did not stop brands from capitalising on the opportunity to market their products. 

Though eBay reported a surge in search terms reflective of pieces worn by Islanders in June, including a “blue PVC top,” “green mini dress,” and “Poster Girl” (a brand of figure-hugging cut-out dresses), Googling the same terms brings up the usual ads from these fast-fashion retailers. 

Brands including PrettyLittleThing and I Saw It First took out advertising slots during the show’s ad breaks, and you only had to open social media to see all of the Tweets, memes and hot takes posted in real-time by the brands marketing teams as episodes aired. 

Despite not being the official sponsor for the show this year, I Saw It First reported a year-on-year spike in customer searches for products that appeared on the show, like co-ords, rubber sliders and cargo trousers.

The show’s power as a marketing moment is undeniable. It has proven time and time again the influence it has over the young demographic that powers fashion sales and is one of just four TV shows in the UK to attract over 1 million viewers aged 16-34 this year, according to ITV.

Whether you buy into the show or not, we can all admit that it is a marketing goldmine for brands both during and after, providing them with a whole host of new influencers to snap up!

So, what do you think? 

Has the change been enough? Or is it just a step in the right direction?

I personally am excited to see what direction the show goes next and am looking forward to watching Tasha’s new partnership develop.