DESIGNER BAGS & ACCESSORIES WE JUST CAN’T SELL

I have resold luxury designer goods for a living for the last nine years. Here I share with you four brands / particular pieces that nobody wants anymore! Full blog below...

This one is an interesting one to write and is something that is continuously evolving and changing. The big question “what brands can we simply not sell?"

The second hand market is often a reflection of demand in the first hand market. For example at the time of writing Gucci is on fire. To be fair Gucci has always been a popular brand but currently anything is sellable. Even vintage, dusty old GG print canvas bags are fetching a fortune. Similarly Dior - if you know you’re not ever going to use that vintage saddle bag - now is the time to sell it. 18 months ago we couldn’t even get £150 for one now we can’t sell them fast enough for £400. And there in lies the power of a trend!

1) GINA HEELS

The first brand that we currently struggle to sell is Gina - especially the heels. On opening the store 9 years ago Gina used to be incredibly popular but I think that a lot of fashion trends have been about being paired back and there has been a shift towards trainers and away from the Swarovski embellished bling of a Gina heel. Louboutins are still popular but a little harder to sell than they used to be. In contrast brands such as Gianvitto Rossi that are cool yet slightly more understated are flying for us.

2) MICHAEL BY MK BAGS

I think because we generally cater to the female between the ages of 30-50 this has been a brand that we have really struggled to sell. The price point, fake market and over supply has resulted in saturation which in turn has really damaged the demand for them on the second hand market. It is also really interesting because the Michael by Michael Kors clothing actually sells really quite well for us. However this diffusion line has affected our ability to sell the mainline Michael Kors clothing. In contrast we are finding that people are willing to spend more on luxury brands that hold their value. Such as Prada, Gucci , Chanel, Celine and Dior.

3) LUELLA BAGS - and any other fashion brands that have gone bust.

It’s interesting - often when a designer goes out of business people say that they think the value of their items in circulation will increase. To a certain extent this makes sense but it is just not something we have ever seen with pieces by Luella. Her bags were again popular when I first opened the store many years ago - and she was heralded as a brilliant British female designer. However I think many years have passed and people have lost their desire to own any of her products. This is in slight contrast to if a designer passes away. For example McQueen. I think this is partly because he was a pioneer in the fashion space and partly because his brand has lived on. But the demand for McQueen is still there for us.

4) CHLOE PADDINGTON BAGS

I don’t know if it is because I personally dislike them so much but we just do not take these in to sell. This one I have a feeling could come back and bite me - much like the Dior Saddle bag did this year! However I think that they were such an “it bag” in the mid 2000’s that they were over done and are now over obvious. You can pick them up very cheaply on the second hand market and this alone signifies that there is a low demand. Bags have moved on and are both lighter and more practical.

I’d love to know what pieces you have found difficult to sell….please comment below!