In another sign that luxury fashion is working toward a more circular future, French label Isabel Marant recently stepped into resale with Isabel Marant Vintage.
The new digital resale platform, initially created for the French market, aims to extend the life of authentic Isabel Marant garments and accessories, including items from the Isabel Marant, Isabel Marant Étoile and men’s lines.
Though labeled “vintage,” the preowned items available on the site lend themselves well to current trends. Items include 100 percent cotton jeans and denim jumpsuits, white leather cowboy boots and maximalist sequin-covered trousers.
Consumers can exchange their preowned Isabel Marant pieces through the platform for a discount voucher to use toward purchasing new items in stores or online, or on the vintage site. Additionally, deadstock clothing, footwear and accessories from prior collections will be sold on the platform.
“Based upon the notions of sustainability and heritage, this initiative provides an effective solution toward making fashion more circular,” the brand stated on its website.
The secondhand shop launches with a give-back component. Proceeds from Isabel Marant Vintage sales will be donated to the Isabel Marant Endowment Fund that will support women’s education and artisan craftsmanship in indigenous communities.
In November 2020, the designer was criticized by Mexican Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto Guerrero for using a pattern unique to the Purepecha community of northwestern Michoacan state without acknowledgement. The fashion brand responded by asking the community to “accept their most sincere apologies.”
Stepping into the growing vintage market is a strategic move for the French label as secondhand is showing signs of exponential growth. Recent data from online resale retailer ThredUP revealed that in 2020, 33 million consumers bought secondhand apparel for the first time. Secondhand is projected to double in the next five years to $77 billion.
