Short Takes: Why Rebag Ventured Into Clothes, Vivomer as Material of Interest
Resellers Rebag and Galaxy are in expansion mode with new funds and categories, while materials like Vivomer are also having a moment.
LATE-JULY RESALE MOVES
As Rebag moves further from handbags into the vast fray of resale opportunity, its next expansion is into clothing and footwear.
The reseller, which counts more than $100 million in funding developing proprietary tech like its Clair pricing tool, will now procure and sell shoes and select apparel from a larger pool of designers.
The category expansion includes sandals, sneakers, heels, boots, loafers, outerwear, jackets, vests, sweaters and sweatshirts. As with other categories, the expansion includes luxury namesakes carried by Rebag such as Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci. For the first time, luxury designers like Adidas, Balmain, Common Projects, Maison Margiela, Manolo Blahnik, Nike, Jordan, Yeezy, Rick Owens, Vetements and more will be included in the expansion.
Sellers will also have the ability to get instant upfront payment or Rebag Credit in the new categories for sellers, as with fine jewelry and accessories.
Charles Gorra, chief executive officer and founder of Rebag said the clothing expansion is something buyers and sellers have been demanding for a while, and the move allows Rebag to address a “larger share of their resale needs.”
Rebag isn't the only player in expansion mode.
The Snapchat-backed resale platform Galaxy recently secured 7 million in funding — and the company is placing all bets on one particularly dynamic mode of selling. A web and app-based resale platform that leverages livestream, Galaxy offers affordable vintage, homemade and upcycled clothes, jewelry and accessories at no commission cost to sellers.
Coresight Research predicts that American shoppers will continue to embrace live shopping, which sat at $11 billion in 2021 and is poised to hit $25 billion by 2023. Though many resale marketplaces rely on the shopper to guide them, with search results powering the majority of sales, Galaxy thinks live shopping — and AI — is the better choice.
“We believe in the power of machine learning to help you discover things that are perfect for you,” Galaxy cofounder and CEO Danny Quick said in a statement. “We build entertaining and engaging experiences which generate explicit data where users tell us what they like by interacting with our product.”
As the company looks to lean further into live selling, Galaxy will use new investment to throttle forward with new features that make it easier to refresh wardrobes.
A CLOSER LOOK AT VIVOMER
Natural beauty brand Haeckels is fine-tuning its act, and for its entire skin care range, Haeckels will put a new packaging material to the test as part of its rebrand.
According to Charlie Vickery, managing director at Haeckels, “2.0 has been 10 years in the making” with new investments in materials as one focal point.
Already, the brand offers 15 percent off for customers who bring its glassware packaging back in store. It dipped into mycelium (mushroom-derived) materials for use in its candles in 2019, but its latest use of Vivomer represents another packaging departure.
London-based biomaterial innovator Shellworks produces Vivomer from the same microorganisms found in marine and soil environments. After its useful life, Vivomer is said to compost in an at-home environment after 48 weeks. Shellworks' goal is to put away plastic in favor of materials like Vivomer. In May, the firm snagged $6.2 million in seed funding led by LocalGlobe.
At today's rate, Vickery said Vivomer is not a widely scalable option, but the brand is hopeful that new material availability and lowering production costs will make it possible in the long run.