Ariat International is joining the growing resale movement.
The California-based company announced today that it has partnered with resale tech company Archive to launch a secondhand marketplace for its products. The site, called Ariat Reboot, is powered by Archive’s digital platform, though it lives on the Ariat.com website. Initially, the product offerings will be limited to Ariat’s English and Western boots for men, women and kids.
Roxanne Woodward, director of compliance and sustainability at Ariat, said the company has been working toward this launch for a few years, building off its 30-year commitment to product durability and longevity.
“We strive to make really beautiful products that last forever. That’s part of our heritage, and it’s what people expect of our brand,” she said. “We’ve always prioritized choosing the right materials that will last, but we also offer a lot of how-to videos on ways to extend the life of your boots to keep them looking beautiful.”
In addition, the brand offers a boot repair service in partnership with NuShoe. And for apparel, it works with Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green recycling program, which salvages worn denim into natural cotton fiber housing insulation.
“This newest initiative is all about keeping that going and keeping our boots that are so well made and so loved on more feet,” Woodward added.
Ariat Reboot is a peer-to-peer marketplace, which directly connects buyers and sellers. Customers shopping the site can filter their search by category, size, width and condition. Because the site is connected to the Ariat product catalog, each listing includes detailed product information and crisp images, as well as photos of the actual pre-owned item, in order to view the condition of the shoes.
Pricing is determined by the digital platform, though sellers do have the option to make adjustments.
Woodward noted that all listings are reviewed by the Ariat Reboot team. “We take a day or two to review the product to make sure it’s called the right thing or that the condition is accurate, that it’s not damaged or scratched,” she said.
Once a customer makes a purchase on the resale site, sellers are expected to ship the item within three days, according to Ariat. If an item has not shipped within six full business days, the buyer can cancel their purchase and request a refund. Additionally, the buyer has three days after the item arrives to accept the item. The seller is not paid until the buyer accepts the item.
The global secondhand market has been an increasing focus for the footwear and fashion industries for the past several years, with even more growth anticipated. The market, which includes resale and traditional thrifting, is projected to be worth $218 billion by 2026, representing a 127% surge over the next four years. That’s according to ThredUp’s 2022 Resale Report, released in partnership with GlobalData last year.
Notably, earlier this year, Canada Goose, Francesca’s and J.Crew all announced their own respective re-commerce sites, joining a long list of companies engaging in this emergent retail channel.
Woodward said that from a sustainability standpoint, resale offers an easy entry point for customers. “Any consumer can participate in the environmental conversation just by being thoughtful about what you’re purchasing, taking care of your items so that they last, and then once you’ve outgrown something or it no longer excites you, rehome it.”
And for Ariat itself, there is the opportunity to reach a new and passionate audience. “I think there are some consumers who are only interested in buying secondhand — and maybe we’ll meet some of those people through this program,” said Woodward.
