‘Pre-loved” is the fashion buzzword of the moment. As people have become more aware of the impact of fast fashion, their habits have shifted to more eco-friendly ways of shopping. For mid-market items, rental platforms such as Hurr and By Rotation are popular, offering the option of hiring a look for the night. In the field of luxury, it is resale that is booming. Resellers provide a dual service for customers, allowing them to sell and to buy. This type of circular fashion enables users to declutter their wardrobes, make money and help to reduce the pressure on the environment.
Luxury resale online was once limited to marketplaces such as eBay and 1stDibs. However, in recent years there has been a proliferation of second-hand retail boutiques. Each is tailored to meet the needs of the high-fashion customer, with concierge and consignment services, and expert authentication teams on hand to provide a first-class, hassle-free experience. Retail giants including Farfetch and Net-a-Porter are getting in on the act, launching internal pre-owned platforms to meet their customers’ needs. But each has subtle differences, so which is the right one for you?
Vestiaire Collective
One of the original luxury resale websites, Vestiaire Collective was co-founded by the Parisian businesswoman Fanny Moizant in 2009. In November this year it banned fast-fashion brands. Vestiaire is known for its epic flash sales, where you can find wish-list items for a fraction of the original price; you can sign up to receive an email alert as soon as your favourite designer pieces come up for sale.
It is a peer-to-peer service, sellers listing the items online themselves and shipping them to an authentication team. Once the items have passed rigorous quality-control checks at one of the authentication centres, the seller manages the sale from their online account (it lacks the seller anonymity offered by consignment services). Items are shipped within seven days of the purchase being made, in the condition and packaging in which they were received from the seller.
Prioritising quantity over quality, Vestiaire offers one of the less high-end resale experiences. However, with 25,000 new listings each day, it has an unrivalled array of designer pieces (Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Hermès, Dior, to name but a few) as well as an extensive range of one-off vintage. And for sellers? Its 15 per cent commission fee is a bargain by resale standards.
vestiairecollective.com
Cudoni
Cudoni was set up by the entrepreneur James Harford-Tyrer, its name inspired by one of its first clients, Countess Antonella Cudone. It’s a favourite of fashion editors and stylists, with an enviable curation of It bags, and waiting lists for the most sought-after items. For sellers it has the added appeal of a luxury concierge service: you can speak to the team over the phone or fill out a form and they will collect the items from you (no need to grapple with DHL and prepaid postage labels). The pieces are then professionally photographed and valued, and posted on online and offline platforms (items are often offered directly to Cudoni’s roster of exclusive private collectors).
What gives Cudoni the cutting edge is its in-depth market research. Combining carefully developed algorithms with world-class luxury expertise, it ensures the pieces reach a global target audience. Once an item has been sold, Cudoni sends it out and follows up with the buyer to ensure that they’re satisfied.
In terms of cut, Cudoni incentivises its sellers with a “the more you sell the more you make” scheme. Its three-tiered commission system (“retail insiders” selling less than £1,000 of items a year make 60 per cent earnings; for “retail icons”, who sell £1,000 to £10,000 a year, it is 65 per cent; and for “resale revolutionaries”, who sell more than £10,000 a year, 70 per cent) inspires a loyal cohort of trustworthy sellers, which in turn ensures a treasure trove of luxury items for buyers.
cudoni.com
Reluxe
A recent addition to the world of resale, Reluxe was launched this year by Clare Richardson, a contributing fashion editor at WSJ, and British and Italian Vogue. Richardson’s mission is to make resale an easy and elevated experience. The carefully curated edit is exactly what you would expect from an industry insider, with clothes from the wardrobes of some of the world’s most stylish women.
Brands include Vivienne Westwood Couture, Jil Sander and Phoebe Philo-era Celine, and in the short time since its launch the brand has partnered with Bella Freud and Self-Portrait (to resell stock on their behalf), as well as with the e-commerce giant Matches Fashion (to create an exclusive selection of second-hand pieces).
Sellers can arrange a virtual consultation (if they’re selling less than ten pieces) or request an in-person concierge appointment (for a more mammoth wardrobe clear-out). Items are then authenticated, priced and photographed, and shipped to the buyer within two to three working days (they arrive perfectly packaged and dry cleaned).
Like Cudoni, Reluxe is based on commission, more steeply set at 50 per cent for pieces under £500, 45 per cent for items between £500 and £2,000, and 35 per cent for those above £2,000. But with this hefty commission comes a superior resale experience, the team taking care of everything from start to finish.
reluxefashion.com
Lampoo
The Milan-based second-hand retailer Lampoo recently opened a boutique on the Kings Road, and has plans to launch a store in Paris next year. These physical retail spaces exist alongside its online platform, a trove of designer clothes, bags and jewellery, featuring high-end favourites such as Valentino as well as more contemporary brands including Kenzo and Alexander Wang.
Those lusting after a particular one-off or sold-out item can enlist the help of its team to track it down from its network of VIP sellers. If you’re wanting to sell, there are several options. You can arrange a DHL pick-up from your home, a one-to-one concierge or virtual appointment, or you can drop into one of its ever growing number of European boutiques to have your items valued.
This in-person option, where you’re able to buy and sell items in the traditional bricks-and-mortar set-up, is useful for the traditionalists among us. Once your items have been approved the team put them up for sale online or in-store (with Lampoo managing the more taxing parts of resale — photographing, packaging, postage and payment). For each sale it charges a £20 handling fee on top of commission of 15-30 per cent.
lampoo.com
The RealReal
The RealReal is the world’s largest authenticated online luxury resale platform, with more than 28 million members. As one of the first luxury resellers to launch its business online, it cornered the market early. It is US based, so UK shoppers have to pay import taxes, but with an extensive selection of Hermès, Chanel and Prada bags and tastefully curated edits, it might just be worth it.
Like many of its high-end resale competitors it is a consignment service, with sellers posting their items to the RealReal team to manage the sale on their behalf (their commission rates range from 20 to 70 per cent for clothing and up to 80 per cent for bags, depending on the sale price). In the US sellers can drop off their items in person at a number of physical locations (these stores have a small edit of items for shopping in person with the express aim of converting sellers into buyers). Due to its scale, the RealReal offers a less bespoke experience, with sellers having to ship items using FedEx and grapple with automated authentication processes. However, with its substantial selection of designer goods and huge online presence, it remains the resale platform of choice in the US.
therealreal.com
Look for classics such as vintage Chanel handbags on Farfetch, the RealReal or Vestiaire Collective
BELA BORSODI/TRUNK ARCHIVE
Farfetch
Farfetch was ahead of the curve as one of the first of the online retailers to launch a pre-loved section on its website, in 2010. It is now a highly reputable name within the field of resale, setting the bar for other e-tail giants such as Matches Fashion and Net-a-Porter.
With the ‘‘pre-owned’’ tab on the Farfetch homepage, you can shop new and old side by side — AW22 Prada adjacent to an incredible curation of second-hand Chanel, Cartier and Burberry. To sell a bag you fill in a form online with pictures of the item, and the team will get back to you within three days to organise collection if it passes muster with the authentication team. For clothes, Farfetch sends you a “refresh bag” to fill with your unwanted items. You can schedule a collection or take it to your nearest drop-off point. Once Farfetch has received the clothes it will decide what is fit for resale; the remaining items will be given to charity or recycled. Instead of charging commission, Farfetch offers credit for its website, or you can donate the funds to a charity of your choice.
farfetch.com
Hardly Ever Worn It
Co-founded by Tatiana Wolter-Ferguson in 2012, Hardly Ever Worn It aims to integrate resale into luxury customers’ everyday lives. Its immaculately designed, user-friendly website has something for everyone (Under £500 for Him or Under £250 For Her), as well as an elegant edit of designer items in the Today’s Favourites tab.
It offers VIP “white-glove” services to its sellers, advising them on what to sell from their wardrobes and managing the entire process on their behalf for a fixed commission of 18 per cent a sale. It teamed up with Vogue in June 2020 to organise a sale from the wardrobes of 23 supermodels including Kate Moss and Gigi Hadid to raise money for NHS Charities Together and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). It partnered with Sotheby’s to host its first luxury handbag and accessories auction in March 2020, totalling £600,000. Hardly Ever Worn It offers resale services in the personal shopping lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5.
hardlyeverwornit.com
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