There was a time in the fashion world when the word “resale” conjured the scent of mothballs. That’s no longer the case; it’s a category worth an estimated $US200 billion as bullish start-ups and luxury players pile in. Oh, and celebrities now, too.
In Australia, the queen of the celebrity wardrobe sale is Lisa Anderson, who founded her business, Pre Loved Closet in 2019 when she was working as a nanny for a high-profile Sydney family.At the time, Facebook resale sites were in their infancy, but even then, Anderson did not like the experience of buying or selling clothing via the social media platform. With her own closet to sell, she turned to Instagram and quickly became known for selling luxury items, growing a client base with speed.
For her sellers, it’s the ease of Anderson’s service that is the primary drawcard. “Lisa just takes care of everything,” says Deering. “I’ve always had a circular mindset and I used to sell on eBay and at markets. PLC is a lot simpler – Lisa does everything.” Some sellers, of course, prefer to stay anonymous.
Since Anderson launched in 2019, the resale market has grown in value and size. The RealReal has a market cap of $US396 million, while competitor Vestiaire Collective has attracted investors such as Kering and Condé Nast.Increasingly, brands are adopting resale as additional revenue stream – Levi’s, Cos, Ganni and Lululemon offer it. And consignment stores like Sydney’s Trading in Style have partnered with brands such as Oroton to sell older stock.
“Twenty-five-year-olds come in and buy an Acne blazer, and they proudly say, ‘I got it from PLC’. But a 40-year-old says, ‘It’s Acne’.”As for what actually sells, PLC’s celebrity closets include everything from Chanel to local label Venroy. Once, she sold a Hermès Kelly bag for $31,000 in less than two minutes.have high sell-through rates for most items, but for international labels, accessories sell best, particularly from brands like Hermès, Chanel, Gucci, Prada and Bottega Veneta.