Sneaker startup WEAR secured new funding last week from Stichting DOEN and Rabo Foundation. The initiative recently introduced the ASICS Reconditioned collection and WEAR Collect, allowing users to easily send in second-hand sneakers. With this investment, founders Pim Roggeveen and Lorenzo van Galen aim to further expand.
WEAR
On 20th March 2024, WEAR secured a financing of two hundred thousand pounds from Stichting DOEN and Rabo Foundation. With this funding, WEAR aims to rejuvenate the platform and expand their offerings. Additionally, founders Roggeveen and van Galen plan to initiate an online collection drive.
The second-hand clothing market is growing rapidly. This is something positive, according to the duo at WEAR, but it can also sometimes have unintended consequences. 'Sometimes the customer doesn't quite know where to start. We at WEAR want your sustainable sneaker journey to begin with us,' says van Galen. To achieve this, the duo aims to invest in a clear program and a wide range of brands.
Roggeveen is also very pleased with the investment from Rabo Foundation and Stichting Doen: 'Our customer base is growing every day. We see more and more people opting for second-hand sneakers, something that starts with us. We operate within a niche. Everyone talks about sustainable fashion, but shoes are often overlooked.'
According to Roggeveen, we are only at the beginning of the sustainability process within the sneaker industry. Despite being a much-discussed topic, little action has been taken. 'This is partly because consumers are not yet demanding it enough, and partly because legislation is not yet sufficiently compelling. This is rapidly changing,'
2026
Here he refers to the decision of the European Union in which shoes will become a mandatory part of the UPV textile in 2026. Traders will also be more transparent about what they sell. Roggeveen says, 'The exact implementation of the UPV will, as with all new legislation, come with many questions, but that cooling-off period will eventually pass.'
According to the duo, it is very important that efforts to make the fashion industry more sustainable are taking place at the European level. 'This also offers many opportunities for us,' says Roggeveen. The investment also helps in this regard.