Apparel brands across the board have come to adopt resale as a strategy, but for luxury labels themselves, it’s a space that’s noticeably lagged behind. That’s because there’s a perception resale can cannibalize a brand’s sales, Diana Ford, co-owner of The Vault Luxury Resale, told Retail Brew.

“You work at Louis Vuitton and you think, ‘Oh, wow, there’s a resale shop down the street that sells Louis Vuitton. They’re going to take mine,’” she said. “Another reason is…unfortunately, there are resale shops that aren’t as into authenticity as they should be.”

Ford sees the tide changing. Her resale shop, based in Brentwood, Missouri, had its largest sales day on Sept. 3, riding a wave from the early pandemic era, when shoppers cleaned their closets.

The bulk of luxury resale goes through consignment shops or digital marketplaces like The Vault, TheRealReal, and Hardly Ever Worn It (HEWI), though some luxury brands, like Oscar De La Renta, are launching their own in-house resale sites.

While brands may have lagged behind the trend, widespread adoption of luxury resale is “just a matter of time,” Sasha Skoda, head of merchandising at The RealReal, told Retail Brew.

Keep reading here.—KM

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Throughout David Leibowitz’s 20+ years in the retail biz, he’s led business development, product engineering, and consulting teams across brands like Nine West, Jones New York, Calvin Klein, and Polo Ralph Lauren. Now at Microsoft, he’s worked with CPG giants, like Kraft Heinz and Mars, on digital innovation.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I lead business development for digital innovation partnerships with some of the most well-known and beloved retail and consumer-goods brands.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I do a lot of listening. This job is not about pitching products; it’s about identifying the barriers to innovation for my customers, so we can unblock them with digital-engineering partnerships and potentially break glass with mutually beneficial business models that transform the industry. I also produce creative video content to illustrate the art of the possible, which is more compelling in the boardroom than PowerPoint.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? No fair! They’re all favorites. Most recently, at Mars, we developed a joint Innovation Lab for direct-to-consumer initiatives, sustainability efforts, and digitized product innovation. And at Kraft Heinz, our teams are co-developing to transform digital manufacturing with a similar digital innovation office.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about this year, and why? Commerce that’s embedded in platforms like social and video. The store of the future isn’t just a physical space; it’s your home, too. Purchasing directly from interactive, immersive content and streaming video is really compelling.

What’s your go-to coffee order? I’m simple. Dunkin’ Donuts regular coffee with a little half-and-half.

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? The old retail motto, “The customer is always right.” Not always. In my experience, enterprise customers appreciate when you tell them where they have opportunities to grow. That authenticity, when offered respectfully and with empathy, develops trust.

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? At 15, it had to be my computer. I could suddenly connect with people beyond my own neighborhood online. I learned coding and developed my own programs and games that interested me. It unlocked so many doors. My favorite product now is my Garmin smartwatch. I use it for daily workouts, listening to music, and (since I’ve always been a data geek) to track my running performance.

Today’s top retail reads.

Setting foot: From Crocs to New Balance to Vans, footwear designer Salehe Bembury is in high demand in the sneaker industry. (Fast Company)

Outer aisles: Inside Portuguese grocer Continente, a retailer whose formats range from small urban locations to fully autonomous stores. (Grocery Dive)

Floor model: At New York Fashion Week, collections from female-led labels, like Khaite and Maryam Nassir Zadeh, presented their collections with retail in mind. (Business of Fashion)

Learn: Business trends change as fast as Clark Kent in a phone booth—but a strong foundation of know-how never goes out of style. Build your applicable business knowledge with our Business Essentials Accelerator. Join the September cohort now.

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