Vintage luxury or a new ultra-dynamic market

Vintage is more than ever a real trend. Adopted for a long time by fashionistas, then today by millennials.... The most beautiful vintage pieces even appear on the red carpet worn by the stars!

Vintage luxury, a booming market. This second-hand market represents nearly one billion euros in France, a figure that is expected to double by 10 years, with complex operations and very diverse distribution channels: off-price distributors, private sales and physical or online outlets, solidarity shops, marketplaces... A vast eco-system subject to specific international dynamics depending on the markets. According to an Ipsos survey conducted at the Paris Luxury Fair in 2018, 91% of luxury professionals believe that this trend is set to grow in the near future.

Why this craze for vintage luxury? It is the whole history of ultimate luxury, owning the rare, the exceptional that will make us unique. Discover the piece that will set us apart, through pieces from old collections seen at the time but also and especially available on the net through blogs or on social networks. The greatest success of these exceptional pieces are those that have been flagship models marking the collection of the moment, part of the history of fashion and with time possessing a cultural guarantee.

Vintage luxury on the podiums? The trend is such that great designers do not hesitate to feed their collections with this vintage spirit. Either to react to this very strong competition in the second-hand market, or to offer an informed clientele a patrimonial and historical approach to fashion. For example, Gucci and its famous artistic director Alessandro Michele have updated XXL sunglasses, lavalier-necked shirts and jacquard turbans. And bags as retro as they are ultra trendy are appearing among many of the great names in luxury. 

From this trend came speculation. From auction rooms to shopping sites, vintage fashion is moving and renewing itself. Today, you can invest in vintage luxury as well as works of art, simply from home through famous sites such as Collector Square, Vide Dressing Room or Collective Changing Room. And it is not uncommon for these parts to find a third one after a second life. With such success, Collector Square, a specialist in online sales of leather goods and watches and jewellery, has opened a Paris pop-up store in the heart of the golden triangle, Faubourg Saint Honoré.

For Thibaut de La Rivière, director of Sup de luxe, vintage luxury responds well to the dual demands of today's customers, a philosophy of the unique, and also, through the "sustainable" way of consumption, the preservation of the planet.