Latest news with #VestiaireCollective
Fashion Network
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Vestiaire Collective celebrates vintage with special focus on iconic pieces
Peer-to-peer resale giant Vestiaire Collective is celebrating vintage this month with the launch of Vintage Days (an activation dedicated to the timeless appeal of archival fashion) and its permanent Archive Room debut. The main Vintage Days activation only runs until 7 June but is a major campaign for the e-tailer that's bringing together 'nostalgia, celebrity style, and curated collections to spotlight the vintage pieces that continue to define fashion today'. It said that with hundreds of thousands of vintage items available on the platform, it offers 'one of the largest and most diverse vintage assortment[s]. To help navigate this unmatched archive, the platform features a dedicated vintage search filter, the only one of its kind among resale players, making it easier than ever for shoppers to find vintage treasures, from runway-era icons to cult Y2K collectibles'. And the specific focus on vintage until the weekend sees it 'celebrating the cultural significance and emotional power of archival fashion, from iconic red carpet looks to pieces that defined entire style eras'. 'As demand for vintage continues to grow, our goal is to make these timeless pieces easier to find, shop, and fall in love with again,' said Sophie Hersan, co-founder and fashion director. The curated edits include TV-inspired pieces that draw from iconic looks from cult '90s and 2000s shows like Sex and the City, 90210 Beverly Hills, Friends, and Gossip Girl. It features labels like Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, Prada, Alaïa, Dior, and Dolce & Gabbana. There's also a special edit of 500 vintage pieces under £500, plus one-of-a-kind pieces 'previously worn by celebrities, tastemakers, and fashion insiders'. The company said: 'From Bella Hadid 's iconic Christian Dior FW 2000 leopard slip dress to Kim Kardashian in head-to-toe Chanel SS 1995 tweed set, and Lena Mahfouf in classic Chanel SS 2002 mini dress, Vestiaire gives shoppers access to the world's largest vintage collection.' And the launch of its 'Archive Room' is all about 'a dedicated account on the platform gathering archive pieces curated by Vestiaire Collective and previously worn by influencers around the world'. It's a permanent seller account on Vestiaire Collective debuting with 58 handpicked pieces. The e-tailer said it has seen a 220% increase in supply and 5x growth in vintage searches over the past five years.
Fashion Network
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Vestiaire Collective celebrates vintage with special focus on iconic pieces
Peer-to-peer resale giant Vestiaire Collective is celebrating vintage this month with the launch of Vintage Days (an activation dedicated to the timeless appeal of archival fashion) and its permanent Archive Room debut. The main Vintage Days activation only runs until 7 June but is a major campaign for the e-tailer that's bringing together 'nostalgia, celebrity style, and curated collections to spotlight the vintage pieces that continue to define fashion today'. It said that with hundreds of thousands of vintage items available on the platform, it offers 'one of the largest and most diverse vintage assortment[s]. To help navigate this unmatched archive, the platform features a dedicated vintage search filter, the only one of its kind among resale players, making it easier than ever for shoppers to find vintage treasures, from runway-era icons to cult Y2K collectibles'. And the specific focus on vintage until the weekend sees it 'celebrating the cultural significance and emotional power of archival fashion, from iconic red carpet looks to pieces that defined entire style eras'. 'As demand for vintage continues to grow, our goal is to make these timeless pieces easier to find, shop, and fall in love with again,' said Sophie Hersan, co-founder and fashion director. The curated edits include TV-inspired pieces that draw from iconic looks from cult '90s and 2000s shows like Sex and the City, 90210 Beverly Hills, Friends, and Gossip Girl. It features labels like Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, Prada, Alaïa, Dior, and Dolce & Gabbana. There's also a special edit of 500 vintage pieces under £500, plus one-of-a-kind pieces 'previously worn by celebrities, tastemakers, and fashion insiders'. The company said: 'From Bella Hadid 's iconic Christian Dior FW 2000 leopard slip dress to Kim Kardashian in head-to-toe Chanel SS 1995 tweed set, and Lena Mahfouf in classic Chanel SS 2002 mini dress, Vestiaire gives shoppers access to the world's largest vintage collection.' And the launch of its 'Archive Room' is all about 'a dedicated account on the platform gathering archive pieces curated by Vestiaire Collective and previously worn by influencers around the world'. It's a permanent seller account on Vestiaire Collective debuting with 58 handpicked pieces. The e-tailer said it has seen a 220% increase in supply and 5x growth in vintage searches over the past five years.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Ultimate Guide To Luxury Vintage Shopping
With prices in the luxury industry showing no sign of slowing down, consumers are increasingly turning to second-hand platforms to find quality luxury vintage items at a reasonable price. Platforms such as Grailed, TheRealReal, Fashionphile, or Vestiaire Collective have been around for a decade, and with a growing number of buyers and sellers, have made vintage luxury shopping more accessible and fun than ever. Knowing where to buy, what to search for, and how to negotiate is key to buying well. BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 02: A general view of the Vestiaire Collective and Toni Garrn Charity ... More Sale Opening on November 2, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo byfor Vestiaire Collective) The resale vintage luxury landscape can broadly be divided between generalist and specialist platforms. Generalist platforms such as Grailed, TheRealReal, or Vestiaire Collective offer womenswear, menswear, and a wide range of accessories, making these the perfect place to start. Other platforms focus on specific product categories. Chrono24, for example, specialises in watches, and Rebag in handbags. Platforms such as Poshmark, in the US, or Vinted, in Europe, that were once focusing on more mass market or premium brands, are now offering a broader luxury offering. Finally, traditional and online auction platforms are also great places to consider. Legacy players such as Christie's and Sotheby's have auctions often specialised by brand (e.g. Hermes) or collectible luxury items (handbags, watches…). Online auction houses have followed suit, with eBay offering premium listing for luxury items. One of the largest online auction platforms in the world, Catawiki, has also seen a surge in the sale of luxury fashion and accessories items. According to Cyrille Coiffet, Vice President at Catawiki,'luxury items, including fashion and its accessories, already account for half of the turnover of Catawiki, and have grown significantly over 2024'. Most platforms adopt a consumer-to-consumer model, with authentication happening digitally. Some platforms, such as TheRealReal, adopt a consignment model, meaning risks of incorrect description or buying counterfeit items are dramatically reduced. Knowing what you are buying on a resale / vintage shopping platform is key. Many sellers, especially individual sellers, may not know much information about what they are selling, including when they bought an item, what season it belongs to, etc. This means that, especially when buying from an individual seller, buyers who know may have the upper hand when looking for archival pieces. Expert buyers will set up notifications to be notified when new pieces from a favourite designer or style are added. The more specific, the better - an alert on 'Dior' will generate a lot of irrelevant results, whereas an alert for 'Dior Homme Hedi Slimane' already helps you to search by gender and era of the famous luxury brand. Get accustomed to setting up alerts for relisted items. Given that peer-to-peer selling means no returns, you may be the next buyer if an item is being relisted. A relisted item may mean the seller does not want it because of a sizing or color issue, in which case they may want to get rid of it promptly and be open to losing a bit of money in the process. Pictures of clothes labels can be a buyer's best friend. Old and barely readable labels indicate an item worn many times, despite what a seller may claim. It is also a way to check that the brand indicated by the seller on the platform corresponds to the brand on the label. Mistakes – intentional or not - do happen, so it is best to double-check. For expert buyers, labels can reveal much more information. Collectors of Hedi Slimane pieces, for instance, know that collections from his Dior Homme tenure (2000-2007) and Saint Laurent (2012-2016) can be identified by the numbers on the wash tag. Dior Homme labels from that period start with two digits that indicate the year (06) then the collection (H for fall winter, E for summer). Saint Laurent labels start with the year (e.g. 2015) followed by the code 53 (menswear) or 73 (womenswear) and other digits indicating the model and colour code. Rick Owens names each collection, and the name of the collection is printed on the item. Knowing your size is also key. Once you get accustomed to online vintage shopping, you will become an expert at knowing your size. Take a few of your favourite items that fit you perfectly, from your favourite t-shirt to jeans. That way, you will be able to request measurements of any item you want to buy and know immediately if they are likely to fit. Bear in mind most sellers do not allow returns, so it is essential to be sure the item will fit. The best thing to do if an item doesn't fit is to relist it immediately – most platforms allow you to do this hassle-free. Next, get to know the seller and ask questions. Sellers with dozens of items for sale and a strong record of sales tend to be professional sellers. These can be your local vintage clothing shop or a fashion buyer selling a surplus. Others that have a small selling history and only a handful of items for sale at a time tend to be occasional sellers and wardrobe clearers. Occasional sellers can be of two kinds. Some do not know the value of the items they are selling and can offer bargains. Others are convinced that their item is the most coveted one and ask for an exorbitant price – stay put unless you car bargain down. Some sellers will try to bypass the official sales channel process – to save the transaction fee – and invite buyers to complete the transaction outside. You may see a note in an item description suggesting that contacts on a social media platform can lead to discounts. Not only does it mean you will have few ways of getting your money back if something goes wrong, but it should also be a warning sign that something else may be going on (e.g. authenticity issues). Pricing second-hand pieces is notoriously difficult. Part of it comes from the fact that, apart from pieces that are still produced yet always in demand and out of stock – think the most in-demand bags from brands such as Hermes or Chanel – second-hand fashion items are plentiful. Highly thought-of items tend to include cult collections from iconic designers, at top luxury brands - Hedi Slimane, Marc Jacobs, Martin Margiela, or Jil Sander, with prices that can be close to original prices or slightly higher. 'If you know, you know' is the mantra for such pieces and sellers, whether professional or individual, price these accordingly. Some designers have cult status and can warrant high resale prices. Even then, it is hard to resell for more than 50-60% of the original price. Most of the time, paying 15 to 30% of the retail price is all you should expect to pay. The luxury t-shirt you saw in a shop for several hundred dollars a few years ago is, on average, not likely to reach more than 10 to 30% of its original price. Just like in any good marketplace, prices are almost always negotiable. Consumer research points to the negotiation process as being part of the fun that defines vintage shopping. As a buyer, making an offer signals two things: that you are keen to buy, and where you stand in terms of the price offered by the seller. Platforms usually have a limit on how much you can lowball – that is, how low can an offer be compared to the original listed price. Send an offer for the bare minimum, and you signal you're a thrifter. If you're offering close to the maximum amount, you're a serious buyer and recognise an item's value. Making an offer as a seller is also common, and some platforms allow sellers to do this in an automated way – for instance by sending a price offer, usually 10 or 15% off. Sellers sending offers may be willing to signal they are open to negotiation – so you may try your luck and make a counteroffer, at a lower price. As a seller, setting realistic expectations is crucial—only rare items with significant demand might appreciate over time. Transparency is also key: clearly disclose any flaws or issues, as attempting to conceal imperfections typically leads to dissatisfied buyers and potential disputes. Platforms are quick to side with buyers, and sellers can be penalised for repeatedly failing to describe an item accurately. Knowing the buyer is important too - if you're an individual seller, you can look at the experience of the buyer, either its rating or number of transactions. Research on consumer experience with second-hand items shows that expectation management is key to ensure satisfaction. If professional authentication or consignment is not available to accurately assess your item's condition and value, it is wise to conservatively describe your items; for instance, listing an excellent condition item as "very good" helps manage buyer expectations positively. The sole exception should be items genuinely new with tags. Occasionally, sellers may experiment with higher pricing to gauge market response, but this approach should be cautiously applied. Ultimately, buying luxury vintage and archival pieces is the best way to shop luxury at an affordable price, discover the quality of products, and create a unique wardrobe and style. And for many, the hunt for rare pieces and price negotiation just adds to the fun.
Fashion United
07-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Shein vs Vestiaire Collective: Ideological (and economic) battle over fast fashion
Paris - Two irreconcilable visions of fashion are clashing. On one side, Shein, a Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant, advocates fashion that is 'accessible to all'. On the other, Vestiaire Collective, a French pioneer of high-end second-hand fashion, denounces a toxic promise based on social exploitation, textile waste and the jeopardising of an entire industrial ecosystem. 'Fashion for all, misery for some.' With this hard-hitting slogan, Vestiaire Collective responded to Shein's advertising campaigns, which defend a vision of fashion as a 'fundamental right', affordable for all. According to Vestiaire Collective's chief impact officer, Dounia Wone, the real cost of this right is much higher than the price tag: sacrificed local employment, lost textile know-how and a polluted planet. The promise of 'democratising' fashion is built on working conditions denounced as abusive. A seductive economic promise… but unsustainable? Shein has conquered the world with a simple formula: thousands of items, updated in real time, at ultra-competitive prices. A dress for 12 euros, delivered in 72 hours, returned if necessary… or thrown away. Behind this impressive logistics operation is a model based on a frantic pace of production - up to 75 hours of work per week in workshops denounced by several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and a return rate so high that it justifies the burial or incineration of unsold new clothes. Vestiaire Collective directly attacks this logic: 'Why should fashion be disposable?' the brand asks in its campaigns. It asserts that this model does not include any real costs: neither for the environment, nor for social rights, nor for local economies. Vestiaire Collective, activist and activated Vestiaire Collective's attack does not stop at slogans. Since 2022, the platform has progressively banned more than 70 fast fashion brands, including Shein, Zara, Boohoo, H&M and PrettyLittleThing. This strategy goes against the imperatives of volume in e-commerce, but it seems to be paying off: 92 percent of buyers remained active after these decisions, according to the platform, which is banking on the upgrading of the second-hand market. The company no longer hides the fact that it is now a political player. It is actively campaigning for stricter regulation of the textile sector, particularly against Asian fast fashion giants. In its sights is the anti-fast fashion bill, led by Member of Parliament Anne-Cécile Violland, which provided for a bonus-malus system and a limitation on advertising for polluting brands. The text was buried in March 2025 in a chilling political silence. Lobbying, appointments and grey areas The controversy was reignited with the surprise appointment of Christophe Castaner, former minister of the interior, to Shein's corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic committee. For Vestiaire Collective's co-founder, Fanny Moizant, this is a 'national scandal'. She believes that this arrival strangely coincides with the withdrawal of the bill. 'Shein was very clever. They defused a regulation that would have cost millions,' she told Madame Figaro. According to Moizant, France could have become a world leader in the regulation of disposable fashion, and Shein has stopped at nothing to prevent this. A war of narratives as much as a clash of models This duel highlights two antagonistic narratives around consumption: Shein sells speed, novelty and accessibility, at the price of an opaque and controversial industrial model. Vestiaire Collective defends sustainability, quality and circularity, at the price of educating consumers and a profound cultural change. But this battle is not limited to public statements: it is already influencing legislative work. Law that is debated Despite the initial withdrawal of the anti-fast fashion bill, mobilisation continues to put pressure on the government. Under the effect of intense media coverage and growing indignation, the law was revised and put back on the parliamentary agenda, albeit in a watered-down version. While the bonus-malus system was retained, the maximum tax was lowered, and advertising restrictions were relaxed. This was a partial victory for advocates of more responsible fashion, but a clear signal that pressure works. As a sign of the times, from couture houses to independent labels, several industry leaders are in turn denouncing the Shein model, praising Vestiaire Collective's courage and calling for structural reform. This dynamic could mark a turning point: criticism of ultra-fast low-cost fashion is no longer just the preserve of activists. Shein counter-attacks As the anti-fast fashion bill approaches its examination in the Senate on June 10, Shein is going on the offensive. The Chinese brand, aware of the regulatory threat, is deploying a vast advertising campaign signed by Havas, hammering home the message that 'fashion is a right, not a privilege'. This charm offensive is based on the argument of purchasing power, aimed at rallying public opinion against legislation it considers elitist. But the fashion sector is not intimidated. Designers, entrepreneurs, federations and influencers are taking a stand one after the other. Victoire Satto, founder of The Good Goods, sums up the situation: 'It's no coincidence that Shein is communicating so much: it's afraid.' For her part, Fanny Moizant, president of Vestiaire Collective, continues to denounce the destructive economic and environmental impact of the ultra-low-cost model. She points out that the law is not intended to make fashion inaccessible, but to restore a competitive balance, while setting clear limits on an industry that is running towards exhaustion. Jocelyn Meire, founder of FASK and president of the France's École de Production de Confection textile de la Région Sud, also spoke out strongly. He recalled a previous exchange with the president of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille, who is none other than Shein's CSR advisor, who described the idea of an environmental penalty on clothing produced en masse in undignified conditions as 'disgusting'. Meire reacted with irony and anger: 'When clothes become faster than ethics and cheaper than dignity, we are no longer simply consuming fashion, we are participating in a collapse.' Towards a more circular future? Will the future of fashion lie in second-hand and traceability? Vestiaire Collective is convinced of this. In particular, the company is involved in the development of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), a digital passport that will make it possible to identify the origin, composition and repairability of a product. This technology is supported by the European Commission, and could durably transform the textile market by promoting resale, transparency and circularity. Vestiaire is even envisaging a future where brands receive a share of the resales made on its platform, a new form of sustainable revenue aligned with the circular economy. At a time when public opinion is polarised around the price of clothing, the battle between Shein and Vestiaire Collective goes beyond the purely commercial. It questions our collective priorities: to produce more and more for less and less, or to consume less, but better?
Fashion United
06-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Shein versus Vestiaire Collective: the ideological (and economic) battle over fast fashion
France - Two irreconcilable visions of have fashion clashed. On one side, Shein, a Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant, advocated for fashion 'accessible to all'. On the other, Vestiaire Collective, a French pioneer of high-end second-hand fashion, denounced a toxic promise based on social exploitation, textile waste and the endangerment of an entire industrial ecosystem. 'Fashion for all, misery for a few.' With this slogan, Vestiaire Collective responded to recent Shein's advertising campaigns, which defended a vision of fashion as a 'fundamental right', affordable for all budgets. According to Vestiaire Collective's chief impact officer, Dounia Wone in a post on LinkedIn, the real cost of this right is much higher than the price tag: sacrificed local employment, erased textile know-how and a polluted planet. The promise of 'democratising' fashion was built on working conditions denounced as abusive. A seductive economic promise, but unsustainable? Shein conquered the world with a simple formula: thousands of items, updated in real time, at ultra-competitive prices. A dress for 12 euros, delivered in 72 hours, returned if necessary or thrown away. Behind this impressive logistics operation was a model based on a frantic pace of production, up to 75 hours of work per week in workshops denounced by several non-governmental organisations, and a return rate so high that it justified the burial or incineration of unsold new clothes. Vestiaire Collective directly attacked this logic: 'Why should fashion be disposable?' the brand asked in its campaigns. It stated that this model did not include any real costs, neither for the environment, social rights, nor local economies. Vestiaire Collective, activist and activated Vestiaire Collective's attack did not stop at slogans. From 2022, the platform progressively banned more than 70 fast fashion brands, including Shein, Zara, Boohoo, H&M and PrettyLittleThing. This strategy went against the imperatives of volume in e-commerce, but seemed to be paying off. According to the platform, 92 percent of buyers remained active after these decisions, as it banked on the upgrading of the second-hand market. The company no longer hid that it was now a political player. It actively campaigned for stricter regulation of the textile sector, particularly against Asian fast fashion giants. The anti-fast fashion bill, led by member of parliament Anne-Cécile Violland, which included a bonus-malus system and a limitation on advertising for polluting brands, was in its sights. This bill was buried in March 2025 in a chilling political silence. Lobbying, appointments and grey areas The controversy was reignited with the surprise appointment of Christophe Castaner, former minister of the interior, to Shein's corporate social responsibility strategic committee. For Vestiaire Collective's co-founder, Fanny Moizant, this was a 'national scandal'. She stated that this arrival strangely coincided with the withdrawal of the bill. 'Shein was very clever. They defused a regulation that would have cost millions,' she told Madame Figaro. According to Moizant, France could have become a world leader in the regulation of disposable fashion, and Shein had stopped at nothing to prevent this. A war of narratives as much as a clash of models This duel highlighted two antagonistic narratives around consumption: Shein sold speed, novelty and accessibility, at the price of an opaque and controversial industrial model. Vestiaire Collective defended sustainability, quality and circularity, at the price of educating consumers and a profound cultural change. But this battle was not limited to public statements, it already influenced legislative work. Law that caused debate Despite the initial withdrawal of the anti-fast fashion bill, mobilisation continued to put pressure. Under the effect of intense media coverage and growing indignation, the law was revised and put back on the parliamentary agenda, albeit in a watered-down version. While the bonus-malus was retained, the maximum tax was lowered, and advertising restrictions were relaxed. This was a partial victory for advocates of more responsible fashion, but a clear signal that pressure worked. A sign of the times: leading figures in French fashion were now taking a public stand. From couture houses to independent labels, several industry leaders in turn denounced the Shein model, praised Vestiaire Collective's courage and called for structural reform. This dynamic could mark a turning point: criticism of ultra-fast low-cost was no longer only voiced by activists, but was becoming an image issue for established players in French fashion. Shein counter-attacked, French fashion retaliated As the anti-fast fashion bill approached its examination in the Senate, scheduled for June 10, Shein went on the offensive. Aware of the regulatory threat, the Chinese brand launched a vast advertising campaign signed by Havas, hammering home that 'fashion is a right, not a privilege'. This charm offensive was based on the argument of purchasing power, aimed at rallying public opinion against legislation it deemed elitist. But the French fashion sector was not intimidated. Designers, entrepreneurs, federations and influencers were taking a stand one after the other. Victoire Satto, founder of The Good Goods, summed up the situation: 'It's no coincidence that Shein is communicating so much: it's scared.' For her part, Fanny Moizant, president of Vestiaire Collective, continued to denounce the destructive economic and environmental impact of the ultra-low-cost model. She reminded people that the law was not intended to make fashion inaccessible, but to restore a competitive balance, while setting clear limits to an industry that was running towards exhaustion. Yann Rivoallan, president of the French Federation of Women's Ready-to-Wear, called for immediate action via the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control), citing misleading business practices and illegal promotions. Jocelyn Meire, founder of FASK and president of the 'École de Production de Confection textile de la Région Sud', also spoke out firmly. He recalled a previous exchange with the president of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille, who was none other than Shein's corporate social responsibility advisor, who had described the idea of an environmental penalty on clothing mass-produced in undignified conditions as 'disgusting'. Meire reacted with irony and anger: 'When clothes become faster than ethics and cheaper than dignity, we're no longer simply consuming fashion, we're participating in a collapse.' At the same time, associations such as 'Les Amis de la Terre', Emmaüs France and WeMove Europe were mobilising citizens and decision-makers. A petition was circulating, opinion pieces were being published one after the other, and a mobilisation was planned for May 14 in Marseille, a city declared 'Capital of Eco-responsible Fashion'. This collective pressure was pushing the legislator to revise its copy: the bill, which had been threatened for a time, was returning to the Senate, in an amended but still ambitious version. Two complementary proposals were sent to senators by the UFIMH and the En Mode Climat collective, in order to avoid any dismantling of the text. For the first time, French fashion was putting up a united front against a global industrial offensive. Towards a more circular future? Will the future of fashion lie in second-hand and traceability? Vestiaire Collective was convinced of this. In particular, the company was involved in the development of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), a digital passport that will make it possible to identify a product's origin, composition and repairability. This technology was supported by the European Commission, and could sustainably transform the textile market by promoting resale, transparency and circularity. Vestiaire was even envisaging a future where brands would receive a share of resales made on its platform, a new form of sustainable revenue aligned with the circular economy. At a time when public opinion was polarising around the price of clothing, the battle between Shein and Vestiaire Collective went beyond the simple commercial framework. It questioned our collective priorities: produce more and more for less and less, or consume less, but better? This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
