All Access

Retail Deals

Standard

Retail Deals Alerts

Alert

Retail Deals Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

mustard

BFD Expert Voices - Retail Deals

BFD Expert Voices

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Patagonia wants to turn its resale business — just 1% of its revenue — into a profitable channel, CEO Ryan Gellert told Axios on Monday.

Why it matters: The resale market has exploded in the last year, with shoppers and retailers eager to capitalize on it.

Gellert, and Eileen Fisher CEO Lisa Williams, spoke with Axios' Hope King at the Axios House Climate Week/UN General Assembly in New York City.

What they're saying: "It's not because we need the profitability. It's to prove that this can be done so that ultimately it can scale," Gellert said.

The company is investing in functionality on its website to show customers the secondhand version of an item they're looking for.

"We're trying to create that kind of visibility and optionality for our customers," he says.

"We feel a strong responsibility for everything that we put out there so we're happy to take it back," Williams said of Eileen Fisher's resale business.

Yes, but: Not all items are resellable — some are damaged or have general wear-and-tear, Williams noted. That's where upcycling, and fiber technology, come into play.

"Finding a way to integrate that business model in a way that is cost-effective is a big challenge when you have that moniker of trying to do the responsible thing," Williams said.

Patagonia spends an estimated $20 million a year on product repair, "and it's 100% investment," Gellert said. "We're not making any money and that's always been the model."

Friction point: Both executives agree that there needs to be more investment in technology that aims to recycle synthetic and mixed materials. 

While there are some advances, "I think we're still a decade from having solutions that really create this sort of circularity of product in, product out that I think would serve us best," said Gellert.

The bottom line:  "We are steadily moving towards a world where there are no more virgin resources," Gellert added.

Patagonia and Eileen Fisher are true resale believers

The resale market has exploded in the last year.

Ryan Gellert and Lisa Williams with Axios' Hope King at at Axios House Climate Week/UN General Assembly on Sept. 23 in New York. Photo: Sam Popp on behalf of Axios

Ryan Gellert and Lisa Williams at Axios House Climate Week/UN General Assembly on Sept. 23 in New York. Photo: Sam Popp on behalf of Axios

Sustainability

Patagonia wants to turn its resale business — just 1% of its revenue — into a profitable channel, CEO Ryan Gellert <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="told Axios" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/24/patagonia-eileen-fisher-underconsumption-core-resale" data-vars-content-id="2c767203-031e-474c-9a91-e41977e2c502" data-vars-headline="Patagonia and Eileen Fisher are true resale believers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/24/patagonia-eileen-fisher-underconsumption-core-resale" target="_self">told Axios</a> on Monday.Why it matters: The resale market has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="exploded" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pro/retail-deals/2024/04/05/secondhand-apparel-resale-73-billion" data-vars-content-id="2c767203-031e-474c-9a91-e41977e2c502" data-vars-headline="Patagonia and Eileen Fisher are true resale believers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/retail-deals/2024/04/05/secondhand-apparel-resale-73-billion" target="_self">exploded</a> in the last year, with shoppers and retailers eager to capitalize on it.

Patagonia and Eileen Fisher are true resale believers

What to read next