Meet The Stylist Behind Love Island’s New Designer Look

For a long time, Love Island has been synonymous with fast fashion, underboob dresses and Boohoo Man shorts. That could be about to change, however. This year, in a move which has been welcomed by the fashion industry, Love Island has partnered with eBay, replacing last year's sponsor, fast-fashion brand I Saw It First. It comes after heavy criticism from advocates for sustainable fashion (including 2021 contestant Brett Staniland, who protested outside Molly-Mae Hague's first catwalk show as creative director for PrettyLittleThing).

Helping the contestants embrace all things sustainable, is Amy Bannerman, a stylist, specialising in pre-loved clothes, who has previously worked with the likes of Dua Lipa, Sophie Turner and Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness. And she says getting the news about her new job was 'the best call ever'.

While she might have dressed A-List clients, Amy says that sorting the islanders' outfits was no different - and that she has interviewed each of the contestants to find out what they do – and don't – want to wear. 'I just approached it like it would be anybody,' Amy tells Grazia. '[Speaking with my assistant] we'd be like oh my God, they'd really love this or we should get them this Jacquemus hat. Then we just went online and were buying things for the islanders - it's personal shopping for these very sweet people who are really excited.'

Yep, you did just read the name Jacquemus. It couldn't be further from I Saw It First, but working with eBay means islanders will be wearing designer brands, with Amy name-checking Gucci, Aläia and Balmain. Understandably, the stylist adds that, pre-villa, the islanders 'couldn't believe' some of the brands she was showing them. 'And I think that's what's so exciting,' she says. 'One of the biggest draws for me about eBay is that you can buy runway pieces, you can have designer pieces that you've wanted your whole life or that you missed out on the first time around. They're all there if you're patient and you're looking for them.'

Amy explains that islanders will be dressing to four themes: Blurred Lines (less gendered dressing, think Harry Styles), Love Me Forever (essential items: like a denim cut off shorts), Y2K (Amy says she was searching eBay for Jane Norman and Bay Trading) and Dopamine Dressing (classic Love Island neon). 'I wanted to choose four themes that encompassed everything that I would want to include,' she says. 'The main one I wanted to include was Love Me Forever, so it's all of the pieces in your wardrobe that you buy and keep for the rest of your life, like the perfect jeans, a great denim jacket, loads of really incredible black dresses from brands like Gucci.'

Obviously, apart from islanders wearing amazing clothes, one of the main hopes of the partnership is that changing where the clothes are sourced on Love Island will have a knock-on effect, encouraging more people to buy sustainably. 'I think that's why everyone's so everyone in the fashion industry is so excited,' says Amy. 'This is the most popular mainstream TV show. And it reaches such a cross section of generations. eBay couldn't have chosen a better partner to reach the audience that predominantly seem to shop fast fashion.'

Photographer: Ian Harrison