Balenciaga is launching its own resale program for clothing and accessories from the fashion house, WWD reports. To this end, the label enters into a partnership with the technology company Reflaunt, which in most cases builds the infrastructure for such programs. Balenciaga’s CEO Cédric Charbit is one of Reflaunt’s investors.
According to Business of Fashion, used Balenciaga products can be picked up at home or returned to participating Balenciaga stores. There they are checked and evaluated. They are then photographed and put online.
In the past year, more and more luxury brands have started selling second-hand products. Initially there were doubts: wouldn’t this lead to competition to sell new products or damage the brand image? But now that the second-hand clothing market is experiencing strong growth, many big brands are in anyway.
Another factor, according to Business of Fashion, is that brands believe this is a way to resonate with the general public about sustainability. According to the media, Balenciaga described the resale program in the press release as a “circular” initiative.
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.