With rising costs associated with
designer labels, and the fast fashion industry today how are fashionistas able
to keep up? The answer is one simple word: Consignment. This
age-old industry isn’t what it used to be – stifling through musty shops where
you might be lucky to find one gem in the whole store – now in the digital age
we are connected with so many outputs for sellers and buyers alike. I had the
pleasure of sitting down with one of the Canadian pioneers in the online
consignment field Ashley Horowitz Creator of Suite Adore.
Starting out in the advertising industry
in Vancouver, BC Ashley found herself moving for years for her career. Once she
and her husband settled down in Toronto she left advertising to focus on being
a mother. “I faced a dilemma many women who have been out of the workforce for
some time and wanting something with the flexibility I felt advertising was
great, but I had done my time,” Ashley said.
Ashley began Suite Adore with her eBay store and started by selling her own
pieces – testing this new medium experimentally. Word spread through friends
and family and suddenly Ashley found the concept just built from there.
Being already familiar with some American designer consignment websites – like
Snob Swap and The Real Real – Ashley found in the years leading up to starting
Suite Adore that there was an untapped market for the online consignment shop
in Canada.
Today she facilitates sales for a number of consignee’s sharing the profits on
a 40:60 split – 60% going to the consignee. All her products are locally
sourced in Canada, despite a number of her clients being American.
From a young age, Ashley always loved
fashion, drawing her style from Phoebe Philo, the current creative director
with Céline Paris, and favouring classic pieces
with clean lines occasionally adding that pop of contemporary.
“I have the luxury of curating, in that manner I can select what I want
to feature in my marketplace.” Having done this for the past few years Ashley
has become prolific in choosing pieces she knows will sell. “I am surprised on
a daily basis,” she laughed “that some beautiful pieces are still sitting and something’s
sell where I did not know that they would be such a hot item.”
Ashley offers her clients many luxuries
of selling with her. Suite Adore will pick up the items from the consignee’s
houses at their convenience. This customer service sets Suite Adore apart from
the rest.
Since Suite Adore began taking off
Ashley has been told time and time again how wonderful the products she sells
are: “People come into my Pop-ups and say ‘Wow, this was pre-owned?’” This
speaks too her meticulous eye for details and her ability to spot a good find.
Suite Adore, though mainly online,
currently holds 2-4 Pop-ups annually – one per season – featuring her favourite
pieces. “People usually tell me that when they walk into a consignment store it
can feel like a Winners, where it is very overwhelming and you cant focus on
anything.” Unlike her in-store competition, she does not overwhelm the
customer, choosing her feature wall carefully.
As word spreads locally about her consignment shop, Ashley receives emails
inquiring towards private events and personal shopping afternoons where she
turns her living room into a mini boutique. “My husband wants to do something
with our front room, I keep putting him off” she laughs, “It makes such a nice
showroom.” Pulling pieces tailored to each client, it is like having a personal
shopper for consignment.
Like many consignment shoppers, authenticity comes into question. I like many
have found people trying to masquerade a bags or clothing as authentic when it
was not. This is a fear of many people – especially when buying online not from
the designer but from a second-hand distributor “Authenticity is huge concern
and priority of my customers. I get asked that question all the time, I personally
have never come across one counterfeit item (…) I usually have a sense of too
where these people might be shopping. My team and I have become versed in
authenticating. There is no sort of school for authenticating.” If she ever
finds herself questioning the authentic nature of a product her consignee is
trying to have her sell Ashley will inquire to a third party authenticator and
that person will inspect it and give her a certificate of authenticity.
As more and more fashionistas find themselves shopping online, as opposed to in
brick and mortar alternatives they can take a breathe of relief knowing that
there are companies like Suite Adore out there to help with their consignment
needs. Ashley will soon move into men’s clothing consignment.
Visit and support Ashley by going to https://suiteadore.com/ following her on instagram
@suiteadore and keep an ear out for her next pop-up set for early 2018.
No comments:
Post a Comment