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Valentino’s resale rollout is underway. The Italian luxury fashion house is bringing vintage Valentino pieces to four global boutiques this month as part of an ongoing push into resale that’s designed to give past collections a new life.
Valentino first launched Valentino Vintage in October, asking owners of vintage items to resell them to the brand in exchange for store credit. Now, those items are available for sale: for a two-week period this June, the house will take over Madame Pauline Vintage in Milan; The Vintage Dress in Tokyo; New York Vintage; and Resurrection Vintage in Los Angeles, to sell off the vintage collection to new customers, according to a brand announcement. Valentino Vintage has been spearheaded by CEO Jacopo Venturini and designer Pierpaolo Piccioli.
The Italian luxury brand has hired two new executives and divided its business as it bolsters its operations for brand growth.
More luxury brands are getting directly involved in resale as a way to recirculate old collections and gain new customers. Gucci’s Gucci Vault concept also resurfaces vintage house pieces. Other brands have worked directly with resale platforms such as the RealReal and Vestiaire Collective.
Valentino, which is owned by Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, reported a return to pre-pandemic levels in 2021 on full-price sales of accessories, beauty and fragrance. The brand has shaken up its executive suite this year as part of a bigger restructuring: chief operations and logistics officer Giuseppe De Mori and global chief financial officer Alberto Fasanotti joined the house earlier this year, while Alessandra Beretta was named CEO of Europe this week. In April, the company hired Janice Lam to lead its Greater China business. Venturini, who joined in 2020, has been focusing the brand’s retail strategy on direct channels; Valentino Vintage extends brand oversight to resale.
The vintage programme is being rolled out in phases. Phase three, according to the brand, will include bringing Valentino Vintage to fashion schools, “where the newest and most original stories are born”, according to the statement.
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