As luxury resale e-commerce sites look to pair off with brands like debutantes at a ball, instances of partnerships are still few and far between, giving each new union an opportunity to promote fashion’s sustainable future and iterate on previous business models. But there’s clearly more than one way to support the circular economy, and Alexander McQueen is looking into clients’ closets for styles from earlier collections its customers may want to part with.
McQueen has become the first luxury label to partner with Vestiaire Collective on the platform’s new Brand Approved program (available only in the U.K. and France – for now), in support of circular — and durable — fashion. As part of the new tie-in, select clients will be contacted by a McQueen sales representative and asked if they have pieces by the brand they wish to sell – like a Fall 2006 tartan skirt by Lee McQueen and a Spring 2011 tuxedo jacket from Sarah Burton’s first collection for the house — on the platform. The pieces assessed and “deemed eligible,” i.e. worthy, will be bought back and sold again on a dedicated Brand Approved section of Vestiaire’s site.
In exchange, sellers/shoppers will be given a store credit from Alexander McQueen, which can be used to make new purchases in McQueen boutiques. See? It all circles very neatly around. “Alexander McQueen is committed to a move towards circular practice, both in the design studio and in the development of new business models,” CEO Emmanuel Gintzburger said, in a statement. “We are delighted to be the first house in the world to collaborate with Vestiaire Collective on its Brand Approved program and to give beautifully crafted pieces a new story.”
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