Department store chain John Lewis has started selling pre-loved handbags from luxury brands such as Loewe, Louis Vuitton, and Celine, thanks to a new partnership with Sign of the Times.
Goods sourced and supplied by Sign of the Times, a luxury second-hand garments and accessories platform, are available on John Lewis’s website and in store at the retailer’s Peter Jones shop in Chelsea, London.
Online customers will be able to shop more than 150 options of second-hand items, including pre-loved handbags, and order them for delivery directly to their door. Meanwhile, Sign of the Times has opened a permanent shop-in-shop at Peter Jones following what the two companies have deemed a successful pop-up initiative.
John Lewis said the demand for premium handbags has increased in recent years, and they now represent nearly 65% of all handbag sales across John Lewis. In addition, it revealed searches for ‘pre-loved handbags’ and ‘second hand jewellery’ on Johnlewis.com are up 24% and 23% year on year, respectively, prompting the retailer to double down on its offering in each of these spaces.
Danielle Gagola, innovation lead at John Lewis, commented: “We’ve seen tremendous success with our pre-loved designer pop-up with Sign of the Times in our Peter Jones shop and are thrilled to continue to build and make shopping more sustainably easier for our customers through Johnlewis.com.
“As a brand we are committed to prolonging a product’s life, whether that is buying second hand, renting or more recently offering repairs. Doubling our pre-loved offering online is just one step in the right direction and one we will continue to grow for our customers.”
In the first six months of the Sign of the Times pop-up in Peter Jones, more than 300 luxury designer pieces were purchased. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada were the most popular designers from the pop-up in that time, according to John Lewis, which is making these brands available via the new online offering.
Antonia Johnstone, owner & CEO of Sign of the Times, remarked: “We were so excited to bring Sign of the Times to Peter Jones in Chelsea on a permanent basis last month following the huge success of what started as a Christmas pop-up.
“Resale is a growing market and great opportunity for retailers to engage new consumers, where there is an increasing demand for more sustainable choices in the fashion sphere.”
In a further circularity commitment, consumers can bring their designer products to the space in Peter Jones to be sold, or send a message to the Sign of the Times team with imagery of the product and organise a collection for the product to be authenticated, valued, and rehomed.
Today, John Lewis’s Oxford Street store launched a new pop-up with childrenswear rental and resale brand thelittleloop, allowing consumers to purchase second-hand clothing from the children’s clothing platform in store.
[image credit: Green Retail World]
