Tech Talk: Sustainable Fashion Platforms
Tech Talk: Sustainable Fashion Platforms
As fashion circularity soars, innovative technology boosts the resale and secondhand markets for both consumers and brands.
By 2027, the secondhand apparel market will nearly double to $350 billion, as ThredUp’s latest resale report predicts. Thanks to Gen Z, online resale is set to increase by 20% annually for the next several years. In fact, almost half of Gen Z consumers’ entire closets are now secondhand.
For consumers and brands alike, tech companies are maximizing the resale and secondhand markets—making shopping sustainably faster, easier and better for everyone.
FOR SHOPPERS
A secondhand search engine, Beni’s app tags along while you shop resale online. CEO Sarah Pinner launched the Santa Barbara, CA-based company with CTO Celine Mol In 2021. The concept came from conversations with friends who wanted to buy more secondhand clothing, but found the overall ecommerce experience frustrating. “The inventory is online, but not always accessible,” Pinner told TechCrunch. “Instead of pulling aspirational shoppers into resale, we’re bringing resale to the shopper.”
First, Beni launched a free browser extension for Chrome and Safari—helping consumers find resale listings for items they want. Instead of teaching consumers a new way to shop, the AI-backed extension lets the company meet shoppers where they are. The end result: a more seamless shopping experience overall.
Beni has partnered with more than 1,000 fashion and accessories brands. When consumers go to one of their sites and click on an item, the app tracks down more than 30 resale marketplaces (including eBay, The RealReal, Rent the Runway and Vestiaire Collective) to find similar items at resale.
Want an easier, more affordable way to shop the latest trends secondhand and earn money from clothes you don’t wear? So did the four friends who launched Curtsy. A decade ago, existing resale apps were hard to use and filled with spam. Founded in San Francisco in 2015, Curtsy is designed to be simple to use, fun to sell on and the best place to find deals on trending styles and top brands. “Curtsy is your guilt-free, sustainable way to thrift,” says its website. “We imagine a world where changing your look doesn't come at a high price to your wallet, the environment or your conscience.”
Goldman Sachs alumna Bianca Rangecroft founded Whering in London in 2020. “We’re hoping to reduce the carbon and water footprint of consumers through their purchasing and utilization,” said Rangecroft, explaining Whering’s mission via the investment bank’s blog. “By helping users digitize their wardrobes, they can track what they wear, understand their most worn items, re-create different versions of their looks and become true outfit repeaters.”
What sets apart Whering from its competitors? Functionality that’s focused on hyper personalization for sustainable shopping recommendations. The startup is also partnering with green dry cleaners and donation centers to make maintenance and repurposing more intuitive.
FOR BRANDS
With 60 clients including The North Face, Lululemon and New Balance, Archive offers innovative circular business models that keep clothing out of landfills. At the same time, it generates new revenue streams, builds loyalty and increases customer acquisition.
Powered by efficient, flexible technology, Archive develops different types of resale programs (such as peer-to-peer marketplaces and past inventory resale platforms). While integrating resale into clients’ operations, it also adapts to their objectives and current supply chains.
Textile researcher Sarika Bajaj and AI scientist Tushita Gupta launched Refiberd in 2020. Based in Cupertino, CA, the company’s mission is to end textile waste in the fashion industry—harnessing technology for a circular economy.
Refiberd specializes in advanced material detection via AI-based hyperspectral imaging, which powers detection and sorting. In 2025, it won the first Circular Fashion Innovator of the Year Award from Ebay and the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Noticing a disconnect between consumers’ wardrobes and waste, Hasna Kourda co-founded Save Your Wardrobe in London in 2017 to bridge the gap. With a circular digital platform tailored for fashion brands and retailers, the startup streamlines the post-purchase experience through AI-powered digital wardrobes. plus end-to-end care and repair services. It works with brands like Hugo Boss, SMCP and Zalando to drive circularity.
At the same time, Save Your Wardrobe helps users make more sustainable fashion choices. The company also won an LVMH Innovation award in 2023.
With “drive revenue, dodge landfills” as its mantra, Treet helps DTC fashion brands grow responsibly through branded resale. The company guides brands in launching tailored peer-to-peer or take-back resale experiences in a week or less. Clients include Girlfriend Collective, Dôen and Tentree.
Founded in San Francisco, CA, in 2021 by Jake Disraeli and Sonia Yang, Treet Marketplaces customers use a secondary website that accepts payments in cash or as brand credit. Brands split the profits, while Treet manages logistics and support.
Giving brands the tools to efficiently launch, manage and scale their resale programs, Trove rules the branded resale and trade-in industries. Founded in 2016, the Oakland, CA-based company works with Canada Goose, Carhartt, Michael Kors, Patagonia and Steve Madden.
Since acquiring its competitor Recurate in 2022, Trove now controls 75% of the branded resale market. Offering both inventory management and peer-to-peer resale programs, it has raised more than $150 million in funding.
Vanessa Groce
