Karine Laudort Leading luxury handbag restoration and pre-owned designer resale retailer, Handbag Clinic, is relaunching its flagship King’s Road store in London’s Chelsea and introducing a home consultation and concierge service as part of a reinvigorated strategy set to boost London’s burgeoning circular economy. With the designer resale market now being dubbed as the fastest growing business in fashion retail1, demand for preloved luxury handbags has soared to unprecedented heights.
Launching initially in London from September 2019, with plans to roll out nationwide in 2020, the bespoke concierge service is designed to meet the increasing demand for buying and selling preloved luxury handbags, which have risen in value by an average of 8% a year over the last decade, matching the annualised returns of the FTSE All-Share Index and outperforming the price of gold. With Chanel’s Medium Classic Flap Bag and Hermes Birkin, Kelly and Constance bags currently selling for up to 140% of their original retail price, investment grade handbags are topping the bill when it comes to the resale market.
From the comfort of their own home, clients can book a consultation with one of Handbag Clinic’s trusted team of dedicated technicians who will be on hand to audit, authenticate, value, clean, restore, and sell client’s designer handbags through their nationwide chain of stores and ecommerce platform, www.handbagclinic.co.uk, freeing up cash for clients to spend on their next purchase. With restoration at the heart of its business, customers can also sit back with the peace of mind that their beloved handbag will fetch its best possible price after being restored to its former glory by a team of highly skilled ateliers.
Handbag Clinic co-founder, Charlotte Staerck, said: “Since we opened the doors to our King’s Road store in 2015, we’ve seen a seismic shift in the marketplace with cult and vintage preloved handbags fetching higher prices than ever – they are seen as collector’s items and, in the face of Brexit uncertainty, a sound investment. The Instagram effect has also fuelled the circular handbag ecosystem, with clients continually wanting to update their look. By reselling their preloved bags, an eco-conscious choice, they can do this guilt free. We recognise that our clients have busy lifestyles and our new home consultation service aims to take the hassle out of reselling your once loved but seldom used handbags – we take care of absolutely everything. We hope that by bringing our services direct to people’s homes, we can empower people to monetise these hugely valuable assets and help them participate in the circular economy. When you consider that the average woman amasses a haul of 111 handbags in her lifetime, that’s an unmined treasure trove and worthwhile side-hustle for women everywhere.”
With its six-year trading history and chain of owned and franchised stores across the UK, as well as Monaco and the Middle East,Handbag Clinic, is an early pioneer and leading authority in the world of sustainable and conscious fashion. Its Chelsea store has become a firm favourite with the fashion elite and Chelsea set, boasting a raft of celebrity clients including Storm Keating, Heidi Range, Imogen Thomas and Made In Chelsea stars Sophie Herman, Rosie Fortescue and Stephanie Pratt. Lovingly rejuvenatingaround 700 bags per month through its UK stores and online platform, Handbag Clinic has handled over £40 million worth of handbags since being founded in 2013.
Set across 900 square feet over three floors, Handbag’s Clinic’s Chelsea store first opened its doors in 2015. Following a recent capital injection, the store has been fully refurbished with a new pristine white colour scheme lending more prominence to the array of luxury handbags, which pop like jewels in all-new display units. New ceramic tile flooring has been laid across its three floors and an all-new window display is in place, enhancing the store’s on-street visibility.
The brainchild of husband and wife team, Ben and Charlotte Staerck, Handbag Clinic’s unrivalled craftsmanship and expertise is deeply embedded within their DNA, with founding roots in furniture restoration through The Furniture Clinic, which Ben founded with his father in 2004. Under the guidance of Ben’s wife, Charlotte, Handbag Clinic has become a leading light in the group, turning over £1m last year and growing over 186% in just six months. At the heart of their philosophy is innovation and expertise, the team strive for excellence using the most advanced technology and techniques. Research suggests that Brits are purchasing 60% more clothing than they were 20 years ago and wearing less than half of it. According to research2, an estimated £30bn worth of unworn clothing and accessories sits in UK wardrobes. As a socially conscious brand, Handbag Clinic’s vision is to empower women everywhere to participate in the circular economy and reduce waste as part of the sustainability movement.
Handbag Clinic offers a wide range of services to revive, restore or even reimagine luxury handbags and accessories. From conditioning and cleaning to colour touch ups, replacement of missing or damaged hardware or stained linings, and the reinforcement of stretched straps, to a full bag makeover changing the colour or tone. Handbag Clinic also enables buyers to avoid fakes with its team of authenticators who stringently vet all products before putting them on sale. As well as visiting a store, currently in London, Newcastle and Leeds, customers can buy and sell handbags through Handbag Clinic’s ecommerce platform and obtain a quote from their team of handbag pricing experts who take into account the designer, item type, age and condition to set a price. The team also provide advice as to how clients can increase or maintain the value of their handbag.
To book your very own home consultation or obtain an online quote to sell or restore your handbag please visit www.handbagclinic.co.uk.
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Pop into one of their branches or email enquiries to: 💌[email protected]
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1 The resale market has grown 21 times faster in the US than other fashion retail over the past three years according to GlobalData, which also predicts that the resale market, worth $24bn, will mature to $51bn by 2023.
2 An estimated £30bn worth of unworn clothing hangs in UK wardrobes according to the resource efficiency body Wrap
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