
How Sole Responsibility is Building a Fast-Growing Business from Fashion Returns
From eCommerce MasterPlan by Chloë Thomas
June 1, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 597
About this episode
Simon Payne discusses how Sole Responsibility is transforming fashion retail through resale and sustainability.
Simon Payne is the co-founder at Sole Responsibility, a sustainable retail business specialising in the resale and takeback of seconds in the footwear and clothing space. They resell 10,000s of sub-prime shoes and garments a year with growth at 30% year on year. In this episode, Simon joins Chloe Thomas to explore how resale commerce, changing consumer behavior, AI, and upcoming sustainability legislation are reshaping the future of fashion retail. They discuss why secondhand is becoming mainstream, what ESPR means for brands, and how retailers can turn returns and resale into long-term opportunities. Hit PLAY to hear: Why secondhand fashion is becoming mainstream faster than brands expected 👟 The surprising way retailers are turning returns into revenue 💰 How AI is helping identify and resell thousands of unique products What Europe’s new ESPR legislation could mean for eCommerce brands ⚖️ Why platforms like Vinted are changing consumer behavior forever The big question fashion brands may soon have to face: produce less or lose relevance? 👀 Dive in: [05:21] Using AI for product identification [07:34] Focusing on product returns and resale [10:32] Rise of social live shopping…
People in this episode
Host: Chloë Thomas
Guest: Simon Payne
Topics covered
- sustainable retail
- resale commerce
- consumer behavior
- AI in fashion
- sustainability legislation
- fashion returns
- secondhand fashion
Keywords
- sustainable fashion
- resale
- returns
- AI
- consumer behavior
- fashion retail
- secondhand
- ESPR
- Vinted
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sole Responsibility, Vinted, ESPR
Places: Europe, UK
More episodes of eCommerce MasterPlan
- The Search-Driven Fashion Strategy That Helped Spirithoods Scale · June 8, 2026 · 42 min
- Uncle Matt’s Hats: Using Storytelling, UGC, and Mission to Grow an eCommerce Brand · May 25, 2026 · 32 min
- How Moon Phase Studios Scaled to £1M with Email Marketing & Seasonal Strategy, with Hayley Jones · May 18, 2026 · 30 min
- From DTC to B2B: How Moyu Scaled to €1.5M by Shifting Its Sales Strategy with Roel Schatorjé · May 11, 2026 · 30 min
- How to Grow Profits in 2026 · May 4, 2026 · 55 min
- How Beevive Built a Multi-Million Pound Brand from a Single Product Idea, with Faye Whitley · April 27, 2026 · 36 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the eCommerce MasterPlan podcast page.