Fanny Moizant and Sophie Hersan are one of the pioneers when it comes to online reselling. The pair started the Paris-based Vestiaire Collective in 2009, before resell sites like The Real Real and Rebag started coming out on the market. The site gave consumers the option to sell items from labels like Chanel, Celine, and Dior that have been sitting in their homes unused to people who could give the clothes and handbags new life. At the heart of Vestiaire Collective is their authentication process, which ensures that the luxury goods they sell aren’t fakes. This year, Vestiaire Collective celebrates its 10th anniversary. I questioned Moizant and Hersan about the origins of the e-commerce site, the authentication process, and their biggest challenges. How did the idea for Vestiaire Collective come about?
Fanny Moizant: We founded Vestiaire Collective in Paris in 2009 after we realized that most of our friend’s closets were full of beautiful designer pieces they no longer wore, we also spotted that many style bloggers were beginning to sell their clothing online. At the time resale was a relatively new concept in Paris, there were some small independent vintage stores and websites like eBay, but nothing that had the fashion curation and trust element that we were looking for as customers. We started the platform with 3,000 pieces that were all actually sourced from our friends in Paris. Nearly 60 percent of the average individual wardrobe goes unworn, so the idea for Vestiaire Collective was really born out of the desire to give these pieces a new lease of life and place circularity at the heart of the industry and consumer mindset.
Why did you name it Vestiaire Collective?
Sophie Hersan: We originally named the company ‘Vestiaire de Copines,’ which translates to ‘the friend’s wardrobe.’ In 2012, we renamed the company “Vestiaire Collective,” when we launched in the UK as it really spoke to our mission: creating the world’s most desirable wardrobe by connecting a global community of fashion lovers. It’s a symbol of our origins — a platform for to buy, sell and share their wardrobes with each other.
Who is your target market?
Moizant: Our target market is really fashion lovers from all around the world. We want to encourage more fashion customers to adopt a more conscious way to consume fashion by buying less, buying well and investing in pieces that will stand the test of time and hold their value at resale. Sustainability is one of the main concerns for the industry and consumers today. The linear fashion model is no longer sustainable and we believe that encouraging people to extend the lifespan of their clothing is way forward.
What are the best-selling items/labels on the site?
Hersan: We’ve seen a resurgence in many classic vintage pieces as the brands bring back their heritage designs. For example, the Dior Saddle, Fendi Baguette and Celine Triomphe bags. Handbags are one of our best-selling categories on the platform as they often make a good investment. I think that many people would be surprised to know that while we have a large collection of luxury brands that continue to sell well such as Gucci and Balenciaga, we also have many contemporary and sustainable designers, as well as vintage collections, including Yves Saint Laurent, Celine, Dior, Gianni Versace and John Galliano. Streetwear category has also been quite strong for us since 2017, especially with the emergence of collabs and sneakers drops. Chunky sneakers are still trending, but so are performance and sustainable trainers. Millennials and Gen Z are the savvy consumers dominating the resale and they are looking for affordable luxury.
Explain your authentication process.
Hersan: Trust and inspiration have always been at the heart of Vestiaire Collective. It is one of our core founding principles and is central to everything that we do. Our curation team first checks all the images of pieces and the quality of product listing before they even go live on site, as we select the best quality items. Once a piece is sold the seller is requested to send it into one of our logistics hugs in the US, France or Asia. The piece receives a physical check from our quality control and in-house specialists. It’s especially important that luxury items receive a strict physical check including the shape, style, materials, labels, serial numbers, but also review the details such as engravings, stitching, etc.
How do you collect items for sale?
Hersan: Vestiaire Collective’s incredibly unique inventory is essentially curated by our global community. They are the ones holding a wealth of treasures in their wardrobes, their willingness to give their pieces a new life allows us to develop what we believe is the world’s most desirable online wardrobe and a real testament to fashion history. We want to empower our members to continue inspiring each other, while ensuring we are highlighting the hottest global trends and staying in line with the demand. Typically, we add about 8,000 new items a day and since we’re a global platform, our sellers have access to some of the most unique designers and pieces that are nearly impossible to find anywhere else — you never know what you’ll find when you open the app!
What makes Vestiaire unique from its competitors?
Moizant: We are a global community platform with over 9 million members (and counting) in over 50 countries! Our members really love that they can interact with each other on the app and are buying and selling from like-minded fashion lovers. For example, you can live in New York City and find another member in Hong Kong who loves the same designer as you, or find a really rare piece that was only released in a particular country.
What are your biggest markets?
Moizant : Since our roots are in Paris, our largest markets continue to be France and Europe. We also have strong hubs in the US and in Asia, which continues to grow very quickly. Resale is an especially huge opportunity in the US, where consumers are quite tech savvy and feel comfortable using apps to make pre-owned purchases at all price points.
What have been the biggest challenges in its 10 years?
Hersan: To continuously educate and innovate! We’ve grown from being just a handful of co-founders starting a business from a small apartment in Paris to now having over 400 employees in 6 offices around the world. Our biggest challenge is the speed at which the company is moving and ensuring we stay focused without spreading our efforts too thinly. We have a lot of exciting ideas and it can be difficult to decide which are the right ones to move forward with. It’s also been an adjustment to learn how to work across different markets and cultures. Every local market has its own nuances and challenges that we need to respect and learn from as we continue to expand.
What's next?
Fanny Moizant: We will continue to empower our community by launching new features on the app, which will encourage members to interact and engage with each other. We’ve been planning many partnerships with forward-thinking brands, including the recent opening of our first permanent boutique in Selfridges London which also celebrated our 10th birthday anniversary. Selfridges are true innovators in the retail landscape so the synergy between both brands really meant that they were the ideal partner for our first permanent space, this kind of collaboration is really the future of fashion.
