Thrift shops were once a kind of mysterious place to enter with curiosity, high expectations and a little reverence for the fashion of the past. In an era in which dressing with second hand garments is no longer just a habit, but a choice dictated by the urgency of more sustainable consumption, the passion for second-hand items has grown giving life to numerous specialized platforms and apps, born as a marketplace for exchange between private individuals.
Valentino Vintage in boutiques all over the world
The success of the formula (a GlobalData-ThredUp report estimates that the resale will generate sales of $ 84 billion in 2030) is attracting, however, an increasing number of fashion brands that decide to directly manage the sale of their vintage garments. After the Gucci Vault experiment, launched in September, Valentino announced the launch of the project Valentino Vintage, which involves Valentino boutiques and specialist second hand shops from all over the world.
In an initial phase, customers will be able to have their Valentino garments evaluated by four stores selected by the Roman maison (currently in Milan, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo Shibuya) and receive in exchange a voucher to spend in the Valentino boutiques; From next January, however, vintage stores will be able to directly sell Valentino vintage garments, in a manner that will be disclosed close to the launch.
The recovered collections of Ferragamo
Another new and interesting path is the one just undertaken by Salvatore Ferragamo, intensely committed to the implementation of his sustainable development plan “Sustainable Thinking”: the collection will be on sale in the Positively Conscious selection of the Farfetch platform Icon Up, consisting of 300 pieces and which includes some of the maison’s most representative models such as the Vara and Varina shoes. It is an upcycled collection, since the creations are born from products and materials recovered from Ferragamo’s stock, such as shoes, accessories and printed silks, reinterpreted by the creative team of the brand and made by local artisans and young workers at Manovia, the historic department Ferragamo prototype and manufacturing interior. Even the packaging in this case will be totally sustainable, thanks to Favini Remake paper composed of 30% post-consumer recycled cellulose and 25% residues from the leather goods chain.
Start-ups and dedicated platforms are growing
This proliferation of initiatives generates that of start-ups specialized in the supply of management software for the resale: at the moment who boasts the most important collaborations is Reflaunt, formerly part of the Maison des Startups of LVMH. After having entered into agreements with Cos, Balenciaga, H&M and Harvey Nichols, Reflaunt also provides its service to Ynap: through the Net-a-porter, Mr Porter and The Outnet channels, the customers of the platforms can now sell jewelry, clothing , accessories in exchange for credit with an extra 10% incentive or direct bank transfer once sold. The marketplace specialized in second hand Poshmark, listed on Wall Street since January, has just launched the Brand Closet tool, to allow brands to manage the sales of used clothing directly with users.