Chloé Partners With Vestiaire Collective on Traceability
Chloé and Vestiaire Collective are demonstrating a resale first: digitized designer goods, and instant resale.
The companies (both of which boast B Corp status) convened media and influencers in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood Thursday night at the Chloé store to celebrate its feats with “Chloé Vertical.” Announced in February, the digital identity system is powered by technology startup Eon and showcases the ownership chain of Chloé’s spring 2023 collection. The in-store demo, followed by drinks and dinner, showcased the traceability technology. With only a smartphone, users can access product care and repair information, authenticity certificate, unique ownership ID number and list their products directly (dubbed “Instant Resale”) on Vestiaire Collective.
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For now, the rollout spans 25 stock keeping units and three product categories (bags, shoes and ready-to-wear clothing), but as part of the luxury brand’s one-year exclusive partnership with Vestiaire Collective, the rollout is also open to all Chloé bags. The bags do not need to have the digital identity solution already in play.
Samina Virk, Vestiaire Collective’s chief executive officer of North America, sung praises of the luxury brand, and similarly, said more is to come from the partnership. Chloé’s circular ambitions trail commitments made under the Sustainable Markets Initiative, founded in 2020 by King Charles III.
How it works is, once customers scan their product’s unique digital ID (embedded either via near-field communication tag or QR code), they will be redirected to a dedicated Chloé Vertical page. There, they confirm item condition, upload product imagery and receive an immediate price offer from Vestiaire Collective. After agreeing to the price, the product then goes to Vestiaire Collective for processing payment. Customers receive credit without having to wait for their item to sell and can choose from three payment options. These include a Chloé voucher (redeemable online or in-store), a Vestiaire Collective voucher (a first for the platform), or a charitable donation to UNICEF’s gender equality initiatives. Voucher payout amount was undisclosed.
The spring 2023 collection arrived in stores on April 7 (Europe only) and worldwide on Chloe.com. Chloé’s suppliers and manufacturers have been involved in every stage, per the brand, aiding the farm-to-closet traceability of materials spanning linen, silk, wool and leather. Leather, for one, is sourced from French farms and tanned by French Leather Working Group-certified tannery Haas.
With news of creative director Gabriela Hearst’s departure, some of the brand’s sourcing ambitions remain unclear. (Specifically, the spring 2023 line includes wool sourced from Hearst’s family ranch in Uruguay, though the brand declined comment). By 2025, Chloé underscored its aim to ensure all its products will boast a digital ID.
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