Recap: Here’s what you missed at the Reseller Series: The Business of Cyclical Fashion
The Vintage Seeker and The ReLove Market's weeklong online series was designed to help resellers level up their shops
Sellers looking to get a leg up on their businesses joined The Vintage Seeker and The ReLove Market for the Reseller Series: The Business of Cyclical Fashion last week.
The event, a weeklong online conference to mark Fashion Revolution Week from April 18-22, drew new and established resellers eager to learn best practices for their shop.
Sixteen guest speakers joined us on Zoom over five 1.5-hour sessions and shared their experiences on brand-building, inventory management, social media and sales with our audience.
All attendees received a 39-page workbook designed to help them define their brand, plan for sales and develop marketing content.
Missed the event? Read a quick recap below.
Keys to success
In the Apr. 18 opening keynote panel, Secrets to Fashion Resale Success, panelists discussed everything from what gets them out of bed in the morning, to engaging with their audiences on social media, to the conscious decisions they’ve made to grow their businesses.
For Joyce Jebose, founder of Joyce’s Closet, some of those decisions have resulted in brand extensions into the authentication of luxury items, styling and dress rentals.
“I’d been into luxury handbags and goods for the last 20 years, and I honed my skills in authenticating,” Jebose said of her brand extensions. “I thought, why not monetize my knowledge and my skills?”
Jebose and others stressed the importance of building a business organically, adding additional blocks over time. “The pressure to grow shouldn’t overwhelm you to the point where you can’t start,” advised Erica Peck, founder of WILDTHINGVINTAGE.
“If this is what you’ve dedicated your life and your work to, there’s always time,” added Heather Jansen, founder of Change is Good.
Carlie Roberts, founder of Consign Your Curves, and Yuan Tan, founder of House of Curiosity, both highlighted the need to drill down to specific audiences, who are more likely to be loyal customers.
“Do research and find your niche,” said Tan. Once you know who your audience is, “you have to walk and talk your message,” said Roberts.
Brand building
The panel served as a segue into the Brand Development for Resellers session on Apr. 19. Caitlin Varrin, co-founder of Lawless Vintage, opened the presentations with an overview of developing your brand purpose, vision and audience, using her company as an example.
“Being an expert as much as you can, doing your research, being authentic and transparent is really important when you’re putting together how you communicate to your audience,” Varrin advised.
Mackenzie Wavryk, founder of Upcycle Clothing Collective, followed Varrin with a case study illustrating the evolution of Upcycle’s visual identity within a year of the shop’s opening.
“I think I had a good idea of our ‘why’ at the beginning, but I just didn’t know how to communicate that forward,” Wavyrk shared.
In order to make the shift, Wavryk tapped into her network to find collaborators for projects that would help to further her brand, and consulted her audience for feedback. She underscored the need for resellers to do the same.
A sustainable inventory
On Apr. 20, we turned to product acquisition and care in the Manage Your Inventory with the Five Rs session. Speakers showed how sustainability and the Five Rs of Cyclical Fashion (Rework, Repurpose, Repair, Recycle, Reduce) drive the decision-making for their shops.
Brynn Pydde, founder of B-Bot Clothing, explained that upcycling clothing can make pieces more attractive for today’s buyers. Instead of sourcing at the thrift shop, Pydde accepts personal donations and donations from sellers who haven’t been able to unload their stock. “Then I get to be creative and work with them to make them wearable,” Pydde said.
Network with other sellers
Learn moreStacey Nowak, founder of CREAM Life + Style, shared how styling product photography or the racks and shelves in her shop can help to bring new customers through the door.
Once the customers are in, shopkeepers can find opportunities to communicate messages of sustainability. “I always like to focus on the positive,” Nowak said. “It seems easier for them to follow rather than telling them all the things they are doing ‘wrong’.”
Emilie MacPhail, founder of Calgary-based repair shop Emilie MacPhail Studio, covered basic repairs resellers can perform to expand the reach of their inventory. “I believe every reseller should know how to conduct certain types of repairs, as it will greatly increase the availability of inventory you are able to take on if you can fix things,” she said.
Another tip to acquire more inventory is to free up costs by reusing materials wherever possible.
Kez Garber, founder of Papa Love Vintage, uses recycled racks and shipping materials. “Everything in my market display I salvaged,” Garber shared. They also participate in clothing swaps with other vendors for hard-to-sell inventory — both to limit deadstock, and to message sustainability across their whole business.
Before the speakers got into an audience Q&A, Cris Herrera, founder of Naturspired and a sustainable fashion consultant, offered practical ways resellers can reduce deadstock and ensure a sellable, sustainable inventory.
“We need to prioritize educating consumers to shop less, shop local, and, when the time comes to add something to their wardrobe, to shop secondhand first,” Herrera said.
Sales opportunities
In a session on How to Boost Sales on Apr. 21, speakers shared their strategies for selling in-person and online, and how they expanded their businesses.
Tom Heuver, founder of Cottonuity and co-owner of streetwear shop From Another, shared how he pivoted from selling in markets to selling online during the pandemic. “If you are going to sell online, you need a flow,” he advised. “Online marketplaces reward you for listing consistently.”
Creating opportunities where none previously existed is an excellent way to connect with your niche, said Laura Gaucher, founder of Good Gals Vintage. When there was no event perfectly aligned with her Western-themed vintage shop, she founded “Vintage in the Badlands,” an event of 20-plus vendors in Drumheller, Alta.
Partnering with local breweries and bands gained exposure for her shop that she didn’t have before. “People are usually pretty open to assisting you,” Gaucher said. “Reach out to them!”
Harrison Snyder, founder of Grail & Co. and co-founder of The Street Market, the Greater Toronto Area’s largest travelling streetwear event, covered diversification and catering to your corner of the market in his presentation. “By establishing a specific niche, you are curating an audience that appreciates what you do,” he said.
Staying social
For the closing session of the Reseller Series on Apr. 22, Grace Quinn, founder of all things gq, guided participants through social media insights, calendar building and her techniques for planning content on Instagram and TikTok.
“Everyone that follows you, follows you for a reason,” Quinn said. “Plan your content, use your insights as a guide, and remember to not stop posting.”
The session wrapped with an interactive workshop, where attendees brainstormed content ideas that would build upon their brand pillars.
Thanks again to our speakers and audience for making the Reseller Series a success! For more educational content, and to see a highlight reel from the event, follow us on Instagram.
*Note that only ticket holders have access to the full 1.5-hour recordings of the event.
