2 days ago
9-5: How Bessette Cofounders Curate a Timeless Wardrobe of Current and Past-Season Favorites
Before launching Bessette in 2024—a curated destination for discounted fashion—Alli Sims and Vanessa Mace were known to their friends and coworkers as the sample sale queens. The cofounders met in 2020 at Matches and instantly bonded over their shared love of '90s-coded, minimalist fashion—and certified steals on The Row and Toteme. Over their three years at the multi-brand retailer, first as assistants, then as personal shoppers, 'we would be those people who would leave work early to go to the Matches sample sale,' Alli jokes. '[Their] sample sales were notorious because you could get all the best pieces at incredible prices, and they happened every three months.' The pair would walk in and make a beeline for the accessories table, scanning the room for any personal favorites they saw on the way. Once, Vanessa muses, she spotted the big silver buttons of a Khaite jacket peeking out from a rack (a style high on her wish list) and didn't hesitate to grab it.
Their colleagues would often leave these sample sales empty-handed, stunned at how the two could navigate this sea of clothing to unearth the designer gems they all had hoped to go home with. 'They would tell us, 'I literally do not understand how you guys walk out with these amazing pieces,'' Vanessa says, joking that some people even offered to pay them to shop on their behalf. That never happened—it did, however, serve as an eye-opener to the state of physical sample sales, where a lack of care for old stock was coupled with a general inaccessibility to discounted fashion beyond the major metropolitan cities (and outskirts thereof).
Bessette, named after Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's enduring style, was born from this desire to flip the script on what sample sales could be. Instead of adopting the take-all model of reselling past-season designer, Vanessa and Alli wanted to elevate the experience into a desirable destination for brands' archival stock. The company's premise and promise of 'curated luxury fashion up to 70% off' brings a boutique approach to the online outlet with a sharp curation that emphasizes quality over quantity; long-lasting design over fleeting trend. Vanessa is keen to point out that although outlet pricing isn't without its negative flavor, '[Bessette's] biggest point of difference is that brands really want to be associated with us.'
The platform will appeal to the fashion girl with an affinity for certain contemporary labels. Pieces from Róhe, By Malene Birger, and Anine Bing are sourced alongside higher-end scores from Khaite, The Row, and Jil Sander—a mix that reflects the cofounders' personal tastes. And while neither is immune to the electrifying jolt of uncovering a great deal, their goal is to temper the familiar feeling of getting caught up in the moment with versatile, seasonless finds. 'What we're buying is definitely for more of a timeless wardrobe—something that someone could invest in and have for seasons to come,' Alli explains.
