Second-hand goods makes us think of a nostalgic past, is it easy, in your opinion, to start or promote a retro trend?

Second-hand luxury items can either be totally new and modern or can be vintage/retro. In most second-hand shops or platforms, you will find both options. Usually, vintage items are considered to have been produced before the 2000s. Also, the luxury market as a whole is slowly evolving towards being more socially responsible due to global trends turning towards sustainability. As such, big fashion houses are now realizing more than ever that they can no longer ignore this trend. I therefore believe that now would be the perfect time to start or promote retro trends. That being said, like any start up, “easy” would not be my choice of word because if launching your own business was easy, everyone would do it. One needs a vision fuelled with ambition, perseverance, dedication and patience.

What is the main reason for your customers to visit your shop?

Before launching chadiluxury.com, I was myself a client of the second-hand luxury world but I was missing what I call the “Feel Good Luxury” factor. I therefore thought that I would launch an online pre-owned luxury platform where clients would feel good for three main reasons. First, they embark on a waste-reducing luxury ecosystem as they buy or sell goods that are meant to last in time and timeless luxury benefits everyone. Second and this is a point I would like to emphasize, our clients receive a personalised, one-to-one, luxury client experience where they are treated and pampered like first-hand clients. Finally, they benefit from one of the lowest commission structures on the market today for consignees along with fair and optimized prices for each available article. Overall, we believe that our offer is compelling and that an increasing amount of clients will join us.

Which product type or style is the most popular amongst your customers?

Our most coveted brands are Rolex, Chanel, Hermès and Gucci. For Rolex, it is generally either vintage pieces or extremely difficult to get contemporary pieces with a several-year waiting list. For example, to celebrate the launch of our website, we had a Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Pepsi’ which we priced at retail! Usually, it is a piece that has at least a 2-year waiting list or a 50 to 100% premium if you want it immediately on the resale market. For Chanel, almost all products are coveted and most of them sell near retail price. For Hermès, Kellys and Birkins are the big winners and usually sold at a premium if they are really sought after and still in very good condition. In some parts of the world, clients look for smaller sized and understated colors of Kellys or Birkins while in others, clients look for bigger sizes with more flashy colors. For Gucci, products that are instantly recognizable are the most coveted and clients mainly buy this brand because they can find timeless pieces at optimized prices.