Sole Responsibility
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersHalifax, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sole Responsibility does
Sole Responsibility is a UK-based circular economy e-commerce retailer that purchases ex-display, returned, and damaged clothing and footwear directly from High Street retailers and resells them to value-conscious consumers at significant discounts to recommended retail price. Founded in 2014 by two parents in Halifax, West Yorkshire, the company operates as a 'seconds specialist' under a proprietary A/B/C condition grading system across six core categories: men's and women's footwear and clothing, and kids' footwear and clothing. The company is also known by the trading name 'Worn Responsibly.'
The business is built around a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (soleresponsibility.co.uk) supplemented by an official eBay store partnership established in 2020, with marketing driven through Instagram, Facebook, and earned media in UK publications including Vogue, Elle, Drapers, and The Sun. Core operational technology consists of an in-house photography setup and bespoke listing software that supports high-volume product presentation, with same-day dispatch as a customer-facing service differentiator. Roughly 10 percent of stock is pledged to charitable causes annually through partnerships with UK charities (Halifax Opportunities Trust, Happy Days UK, Petrus) and environmental initiatives (Tree App).
Revenue is generated through one-off retail transactions on discounted branded merchandise, with the company reporting 40 percent year-on-year growth and the avoidance of more than 70,000 pairs of unworn branded trainers from landfill or incineration since inception. Sole Responsibility is privately held, bootstrapped with no external institutional funding, and led by co-founder and Managing Director Simon Payne.
Sole Responsibility firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sole Responsibility
- Legal name
- Sole Responsibility
- Website
- https://soleresponsibility.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sole Responsibility industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Discounted Apparel and Footwear Retail
- NAICS
- Shoe Retailers (45821), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (45811)
- SIC
- Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Retail-Family Clothing Stores (5651)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Apparel, Footwear & Accessories Resale (CRAFAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Off-Price Footwear Retailers (CRAEABAC), Footwear Outlet & Off-Price Retail (CRAAADAI)
Keywords
Where Sole Responsibility is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Halifax
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sole Responsibility business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail E-commerce Sales: Direct sales of ex-display, returned, and damaged clothing and footwear through their own website (soleresponsibility.co.uk) and eBay store to consumers at discounted prices. Products are purchased directly from High Street retailers at low cost and resold to consumers.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Sole Responsibility product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sole Responsibility purchases ex-display, returned, and damaged branded clothing and footwear directly from UK High Street retailers and resells it to consumers at discounted prices through its own e-commerce website (soleresponsibility.co.uk) and eBay store. Products are organised through a proprietary A/B/C grading system that classifies items by condition across New, New with Defects, and Used tiers, spanning mens, womens, and kids footwear and apparel. Approximately 10% of weekly stock is donated to charitable causes, supporting the company's circular economy positioning.
Product overview
Sole Responsibility operates as a circular economy e-commerce platform specializing in second-quality branded clothing and footwear. The company purchases ex-display, returned, and end-of-line stock directly from High Street retailers, grading products using an A/B/C system that categorizes items by condition (New with Defects and Used tiers). The product portfolio spans six core categories: Men's Footwear, Men's Clothing, Women's Footwear, Women's Clothing, Kids Footwear, and Kids Clothing. Products are sold through the company's own e-commerce website (soleresponsibility.co.uk) and via their eBay store, with charitable donations of approximately 10 percent of stock made annually. Brands stocked include Nike, Adidas, Champion, Hoka, Crocs, Birkenstock, Kickers, and others.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Men's Footwear Second-quality branded men's footwear retailed across multiple condition tiers (New, New with Defects A/B/C, Used A/B/C) to UK consumers at discounted prices, sourced directly from High Street retailers as ex-display, returned, or end-of-line stock.
- Men's Clothing Second-quality branded men's clothing retailed across New, New with Defects A/B/C, and Used A/B/C condition tiers, with stock purchased directly from High Street retailers.
- Women's Footwear Second-quality branded women's footwear retailed across New, New with Defects A/B/C, and Used A/B/C condition tiers to UK consumers, sourced from High Street retailers as ex-display, returned, or end-of-line stock.
- Women's Clothing Second-quality branded women's clothing retailed across New, New with Defects A/B/C, and Used A/B/C condition tiers, purchased directly from High Street retailers.
- Kids Footwear Second-quality branded children's footwear retailed in New and New with Defects A/B condition tiers, sourced directly from High Street retailers as ex-display, returned, or end-of-line stock.
- Kids Clothing Second-quality branded children's clothing retailed in New and Used (Category C) condition tiers, with stock purchased directly from High Street retailers.
- eBay Reseller Storefront Official-eBay-partner storefront through which Sole Responsibility extends the lifecycle of sub-prime branded stock by reselling it to eBay's audience. The relationship was launched in 2020 and includes feature placement in eBay's 'Stronger As One' advertising campaign.
Quantifiable outcome
- Saved 70,000+ pairs of unworn branded trainers from landfill or incineration
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sole Responsibility
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sole Responsibility technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Sole Responsibility partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- eBaycoreOfficial eBay partner since 2020. Sole Responsibility is featured in eBay's Stronger As One advertisement campaign, demonstrating their role as a key seller on the eBay marketplace platform for circular economy fashion.
- Halifax Opportunities TrustcoreCharity partnership helping people get back on their feet and into employment. Sole Responsibility works with the Trust over the last 6 months to help people get back into the working environment. Key part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives.
- Tree AppminorEnvironmental partnership as part of commitment to European Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land). Helping life on land by supporting tree planting - trees absorb CO2 and produce oxygen benefiting air quality and health.
- PetrusminorCharitable partner organization working with those in need. Part of ongoing charitable giving programme.
- Happy Days UKcoreHalifax-based homeless charity partnership. Sole Responsibility donates money and stock to this homeless charity that brings hope through community and social enterprise.
- High Street RetailerscoreSole Responsibility purchases ex-display, returned and damaged stock directly from High Street retailers. This partnership helps retailers avoid landfill and incineration costs while providing a responsible use for sub-prime stock. This is the core supply relationship for their business model.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sole Responsibility competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Vinted: Peer-to-peer resale marketplace for secondhand clothing, footwear and accessories across Europe. Comparable resale category and European footprint, but operates a C2C marketplace model rather than Sole Responsibility's direct purchasing model.
- StockX: Online marketplace for resale of sneakers, streetwear and other authenticated goods. Comparable branded footwear resale focus, especially relevant given Sole Responsibility's strong branded-trainer inventory (70,000+ pairs saved).
- Depop: Peer-to-peer fashion resale marketplace popular with younger consumers, owned by Etsy. Comparable secondhand apparel and footwear category but with a social/community-led marketplace model rather than direct retail.
- thredUP: US-based online resale platform for secondhand clothing and accessories. Comparable recommerce apparel model with greater scale and infrastructure, though geographically focused on North America.
- GOAT: Online marketplace for authenticated new, used and rare sneakers and apparel. Comparable branded sneaker resale overlap, though GOAT focuses on premium/authenticated trainers versus Sole Responsibility's seconds-and-off-price mix.
- Vestiaire Collective: Global luxury fashion resale marketplace with authentication. Comparable premium apparel resale category, but focused on authenticated luxury rather than the off-price High Street brands that anchor Sole Responsibility.
Direct peers
- BrandAlley: UK-based members-only off-price fashion retailer selling discounted branded clothing and footwear via flash sales. Most directly comparable to Sole Responsibility in geography, category mix and discount positioning.
- Beyond Retro: UK-based vintage and secondhand clothing retailer operating both physical stores and e-commerce. Comparable circular-economy apparel resale model with strong UK brand presence.
- Secret Sales: UK private members' shopping club selling excess stock, seconds and branded fashion at significant discounts. Comparable model, geography and customer segment to Sole Responsibility.
- The Outnet: Off-price fashion e-commerce site owned by MYtheresa, selling discounted designer apparel and footwear. Comparable off-price branded fashion model with broader international reach than Sole Responsibility.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sole Responsibility social profiles
Digital presenceSole Responsibility financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sole Responsibility leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sole Responsibility funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sole Responsibility M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sole Responsibility
What does Sole Responsibility do?
Sole Responsibility purchases ex-display, returned, and damaged branded clothing and footwear directly from UK High Street retailers and resells it to consumers at discounted prices through its own e-commerce website (soleresponsibility.co.uk) and eBay store. Products are organised through a proprietary A/B/C grading system that classifies items by condition across New, New with Defects, and Used tiers, spanning mens, womens, and kids footwear and apparel. Approximately 10% of weekly stock is donated to charitable causes, supporting the company's circular economy positioning.
Is Sole Responsibility a public or private company?
Sole Responsibility is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sole Responsibility founded?
Sole Responsibility was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sole Responsibility based?
Sole Responsibility is headquartered in Halifax, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Sole Responsibility make money?
One revenue line is on record: retail E-commerce Sales.
Who are Sole Responsibility's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Vinted, StockX, Depop, thredUP, GOAT and Vestiaire Collective. Direct peers are BrandAlley, Beyond Retro, Secret Sales and The Outnet.
Does Sole Responsibility have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sole Responsibility.
What industry is Sole Responsibility in?
Sole Responsibility's product category is Discounted Apparel and Footwear Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAGAA, Apparel, Footwear & Accessories Resale, with a secondary code of CRAEABAC, Off-Price Footwear Retailers. Its NAICS code is 45821 and its SIC code is 5600.