A quick search on salvostore.com.au shows RM Williams is one of the most searched for items. There are four pairs on offer, ranging from $265 to $330. There is also a Celine women’s handbag at $980, and Herve Leger dresses ranging from $98 to $250.
Boom in designer finds
If you are looking specifically for designer brands, there are an increasing number of second-hand boutiques. They have done the sourcing and pre-sort for you and are priced accordingly.
Melbourne is probably the country’s centre for this type of store, with upmarket stores in the CBD and posh Albert Park as well as versions in the bohemian suburbs such as Brunswick and Fitzroy.
The Nicolas Building, in central Melbourne, is an enclave for artists and other creatives. Here you’ll find Reina boutique, its minimalist interior filled with curated vintage fashion from Italian, Japanese and French designers, along with a few strays.
Owner Romy Theodore opened the store in 2019 because she wanted to bring a New York-style vintage shop to her home town.
Theodore sells items largely from the 1990s. “All the fashion houses had very young designers. And they were all taking risks. They’re fun designs. We have a lot of Miu Miu, Prada, Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood clothes here.”
These pre-loved items aren’t cheap: a 1998 silk gold Prada mini-dress is selling for $690. The clientele ranges from girls shopping for their mums through to Baby Boomers who want to wear styles from their younger days.
In Albert Park, one of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs, you will find As If Designer Recycle. At the heart of the shop is a big wooden bar where shoppers can indulge in a glass of Veuve Clicquot, coffee or tea.
“We have Aperol Spritz on Saturdays,” owner Denise Birdseye says. She wants her shoppers to have fun as they get their hands on second-hand Alexander McQueen, Max Mara, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Scanlan Theodore, Chanel, Prada, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and other designer brands.
Birdseye opened her first store seven years ago on Mills Road. Her initial plan was to sell her pre-loved pieces, along with her friends’ clothes, shoes and bags. “From that, it just evolved.”
As If sells on a consignment arrangement, where the seller receives half of the sale price, after GST, for clothes, shoes and accessories. Items that are unsold after three months are returned to their owner. For bags, the seller can get more than 50 per cent depending on the sale price.
Denise Birdseye owns As If boutique in Albert Park, Melbourne. Eamon Gallagher
There’s no shortage of stock thanks to people living around Albert Park cleaning out their wardrobes. “We can’t keep up with the products coming in the door,” says Birdseye. “We actually have to turn items away sometimes.”
Many of these items have never been worn and still have the tags attached.
Birdseye attributes the popularity of her shop to the recycling and sustainable fashion movement: “People are anti-Shein [the Chinese fast fashion giant]. They don’t want to contribute to the landfill. It’s a bit of flex now when people say, ‘I bought this pre-loved.’ Because people don’t want to look like they’re buying brand new,” she says.
She says kids who learn about recycling at school are influencing their parents’ purchasing decisions.
While 40- to 60-year-old women are her usual shoppers, As If also attracts a few younger customers. “A 17-year-old bought a Bottega vintage bag this morning,” Birdseye says. “She paid $990 for it. She knows what it’s worth and she said this is a great price.”
On most days, As If attracts corporate types working in finance and banking purchasing a Chanel suit for $2000 or women buying a fancy dress or gown for a party, a wedding or the Melbourne Cup.
Birdseye attributes the growth in sales to the shift in people’s mindset during the pandemic about buying and keeping fashion. “People started rethinking why they have so many pieces in their wardrobe. It occurred to them to get rid of their stuff and that they can make money off it,” she says. It’s not uncommon for people who are dropping off pre-loved items on consignment to buy a few pieces before they leave the store.
Some pieces are snapped up, she says. “I sold Hermes boots that had not been worn last Saturday. As soon as they came in, two people grabbed them. One person said, ‘If she doesn’t want them, I’ll have them’.”
Pre-loved fashion is tipped to become more popular. A recent report by online resale platform thredUP predicted the global second-hand clothing market will double to be worth $US350 billion ($530 billion) by 2027. While the fashion industry struggles to get on a sustainable path, second-hand apparel is expected to account for 10 per cent of the global clothing market by next year.
That’s good news for the Salvos and other charities who have long relied on the old-fashioned opportunity shop as well as the relative newcomers that concentrate on the designer end of the market.
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