BuyMyWardrobe merges with HEWI as resale trend accelerates

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 23, 2018

UK designer resale website and pop-up specialist BuyMyWardrobe has merged with HEWI London (previously known as Hardly Ever Worn It) after several months of talks between the former’s founder Kal Di Paola and HEWI chief Sharon Walter-Ferguson.

The two websites have already joined up with customers being migrated to the merged site, although BuyMyWardrobe won’t cease to function as a standalone site until May 30.

In the months ahead, BuyMyWardrobe said it would be working with its new partner to integrate its VIP consignment service and to help build an offline HEWI offering through pop-ups and events. 

The move comes as designer resale continues to grow as a category, but with numerous big-league players in the market, competition for the best quality inventory is becoming more intense.

Competition for the right pieces is also tougher with resale shoppers targeting the best known labels and also looking for on-trend pieces.

Last month Lyst said that traffic for high-end resale products had risen nearly 450% in the latest half year, while consignment site ThredUP said that 44 million women shopped secondhand last year compared to 35 million in 2016.

It also said the resale market around the world should be worth $41 billion within four years as resale firms grow many times faster than the wider fashion retail market.