One of the best trends in current fashion is the return of a nostalgic piece. Whether it’s a famous dress a star wore at the 1987 Oscars, or a tour t-shirt from a rock band your dad bought in the ‘70s, there is something inherently fun about the re-invigoration of classic goods.
Online services Thredup and Poshmark have done wonders for this market. Now, brands are looking to get a piece of that market for themselves.
See also: Tommy Hilfiger Brings '90s Styles Back With "Revisited: Music Edition" Collection
According to a report by Fashionista, major luxury brands Oscar de la Renta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and more all recently announced their own resale markets in an effort to capitalize on the resale craze and provide authenticated goods.
“We think that seal of approval from the brand in terms of resale is hugely important,” Alex Bolen, CEO of Oscar de la Renta, is quoted in the report. “We started to speak to vintage dealers around the country and looked at places like TheRealReal, Vestiaire Collective and other resale sites to source pieces for our archive, and we found that our customers were shopping there as well.”
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According to Fashionista, Oscar de la Renta created its own online platform called Encore, which promises both vintage goods and a seal of authentication on everything. It’s done wonders for the company, as they can now “exercise full brand control” and take in more profit for goods sold years ago.
Also mentioned in the article are the Gucci Vault, which launched in September and features both archival pieces and new items from emerging designers; as well as Valentino Vintage pop-up store locations where customers can bring in old goods for store credit, then shop the goods other customers brought in.
It’s a trend that’s been years in the making, perhaps accelerated by the online transition brought on by the pandemic.
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There are a few other ways brands have jumped on the nostalgia trend, chief among those a revamped re-release and their own third-party markets. Tommy Jeans, for example, recently highlighted a new collection of music-based clothing, featuring “tour shirts” from ‘90s stars including Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.
The latter is a little more difficult, but has still become quite popular, thanks to the rise of online services like Archive. The company helps brands take back control of their goods in the secondhand market; a bridge between the major fashion labels and the third-party growth seen in recent years.
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While it may seem like a ploy for luxury brands to make even more money off their former goods, there is an extra benefit to such a market: sustainability. If goods are made with the intention of staying in good condition for years and with the idea of enjoying further resale down the line, less materials will be needed in the process, potentially making the overall industry more environmentally friendly down the line.
In short, there’s plenty to look forward to in this new partnership between luxury brands and the resale, so hang onto that scarf a little longer: it just might be worth something in years to come.
Photography by: Julien Tondu / Unsplash
