The success of the second hand is now managed by the manufacturers themselves

A few steps from the heart of the Marais, between an art gallery and a boulangerie, a girl enters the AMI Paris flagship with an oversized camel-coloured jacket. She bought it on AMI For Ever, the second-hand platform launched by the French brand in 2023. It is part of a three-year-old collection, but despite its pre-loved air, it is one of those garments that are sought after for the story it tells. More and more Gen Z and a growing segment of collectors like to participate with their purchases in the life of a garment that evolves over time. The numbers explain the phenomenon well: according to a report by the online resale platform ThredUp, the global second-hand clothing market will reach $197 billion in 2023. A figure set to reach 350 billion by 2028 in the US alone. While, more generally, the second-hand luxury goods segment in Italy could triple by 2033, reaching EUR 6.78 billion. Faced with this scenario, many high-end brands have stopped observing the phenomenon from afar and have chosen to directly manage the second life of their garments, creating official platforms and tailor-made services where authenticity, narrative and customer relations remain in safe hands.

With AMI For Ever, the process is simple: whoever owns a branded garment sends it to the brand, which checks it, photographs it and resells it directly on the site, acting as a reliable intermediary between seller and buyer. "Each piece is curated and placed in a digital catalogue. This way the customer is sure of what he is buying and we give continuity to our story, in line with the mission of circular fashion," explains Nicolas Santi-Weil, managing director of the French fashion house, founded 14 years ago by designer Alexandre Mattiussi. "The result is a platform where oversized jumpers, sequinned jeans and cult garments coexist, returning to circulation as new protagonists of the wardrobe."

Back in 2021, Gucci led the way with Vault, a digital concept store conceived by then creative director Alessandro Michele, which is now being redefined. More than a resale channel, it represented a parallel place where restored archive pieces coexisted with capsules by emerging designers and unexpected artistic collaborations. A year later, Balenciaga chose the path of collaboration with Reflaunt for its Re-sell Programme. By appointment in selected boutiques or through the brand's official website, garments are authenticated, photographed and catalogued, leaving the seller only to wait for a refund. It is the most direct way to buy iconic pieces, such as Demna's signature creations, now that the Georgian designer has moved on to lead the Gucci brand. In a more independent vein, the Parisian brand Isabel Marant has created a site dedicated to reselling its archives: on isabelmarant-vintage.com you can find fringed military jackets and boho chic dresses from old collections, reinterpreted into contemporary looks. Each piece is presented as if it were part of a fashion shoot, keeping the brand's identity intact.

On the Scandinavian front, Ganni from 2019 has focused on rental with Ganni Repeat. In Postmodern shops in Copenhagen and Oslo, one can bring back an already loved dress and receive credit to spend immediately, fuelling the virtuous cycle of sustainability. While in the United Kingdom, Burberry in 2023 consolidated its focus on the customer and the environment by launching ReBurberry, a service developed with Vestiaire Collective, but taken care of directly by the maison: whoever returns a trench coat or a selected bag receives credit to reinvest in the official boutiques.

If in high-end fashion the second-hand phenomenon is experiencing an explosion, it is in haute horology that certified second-hand has found a new frontier. A growing trend, also witnessed by the choice of a historic Milanese store such as Pisa 1940 to launch the Pisa 1940 Certified Pre-Loved service, dedicating an area to second-hand watches with a selection of certified pieces. "The customer contacts us and comes to our flagship store, presenting us with the watches they wish to give a second life to," explains Chiara Pisa, Pisa 1940's CEO. "At that point, we select the models we consider interesting and proceed with the ritual checks to verify their condition. Our technicians carry out an initial check, which is followed by checks by the parent company, which overhauls and certifies the parts according to official in-house standards. Each watch that we then sell is accompanied by a Pisa Card offering a two-year warranty, in addition to the warranty issued by the maison. Some of the major maisons such as Rolex with the Rolex Certified Pre-Owned service, Vacheron Constantin with the Certified Pre-Owned programme, and Richard Mille with Pre-Owned then have pre-owned channels on their official website, where you can find rare models that may increase in value over time.