Luxury brands move into the resale market as sustainability drives a growing sector worth billions

 Stacey Tiveron

Ronati, a technology firm serving the art, antiques and vintage markets has been in a two-year conversation with antiques, vintage and collectables market dealers and the company finds that predictions for 2022 point to major developments in the industry alongside the one of a kind luxury goods brands are increasingly moving to reclaim the secondary market in vintage collectables of their items, says

It predicts that this will be one of the major shifts in the vintage and collectables market in 2022 following a year of consultation with dealers in the UK and US.

Gucci, Levi’s, Mulberry and others have watched as new businesses like the Vestiaire Collective, Handbag Clinic and Hardly Ever Worn It have created global demand for pre-owned classics from their ranges. With the sneakers collectable market alone worth billions, there is a great deal to play for.

Now the leading luxury brands are operating buy-back and resale schemes which not only chime with sustainability concerns, but also give them a stake in this burgeoning market, says Ronati.

The company has spent a great deal of 2020 and 2021 talking to art, antiques and vintage dealers about what is happening in the market and this has given it a unique insight into changing attitudes, priorities and concerns.

Mark Hill

Now Founder and CEO Stacey Tiveron, who is based in the US, and UK managing director Mark Hill, have set out what they expect to see in 2022 as a result.

1. Business on the go. Technology will continue to develop to help antiques and vintage dealers become even more versatile in using their time well. As they get out and about more on buying trips and away from their desktops, the need to turn round stock at a faster rate will become a priority. That means that technology supporting the trade will become increasingly mobile.
2. Expect more hybrid events. The public will be able to enjoy more timed and live auctions, which have already merged in many cases to create hybrid events. Virtual viewing rooms now complement live gallery exhibitions, and even fairs are finding ways of presenting art, antiques and vintage items in more than one way. Business will look for opportunities that are effectively “inoculated” against lockdowns and travel bans.
3. Lines will become more blurred between traditional forms of service provision. Auction houses have long acted as dealers via the private sale, while dealers now hold auctions. Fair organisers will look to expand their interests beyond the fixed term of an event by supporting exhibitors in other ways. Other businesses will also look to cast a wider net of influence. This will all create a more competitive market place, with the consumer as the winner.
4. More younger dealers will appear on the scene. They may not know it yet, but they will be part of the art market. Generation Z has grown up trading clothes and sneakers/trainers via sites like De-Pop and is already confident in packing and shipping goods off to customers. An increasing number will seek out revenue-generating opportunities trading in jewellery, clothing, musical instruments, vinyl, designer brands and other topical collectables via dedicated sites like Xupes, Cudoni, Hardly Ever Worn It, Discogs, Etsy and StockX. This will create a whole new sector of opportunity for young people looking to take control of their lives as they face employment challenges in the wake of the pandemic. Mainstream art and antiques market actors will do well to take heed and see how they can tap into this burgeoning area of trade.
5. More luxury brands will start to trade in sought-after collectables from their pre-owned ranges as they realise the revenue stream for this is currently going elsewhere. Look out for areas dedicated to the rare, curated and pre-loved on their main commercial websites. Stella McCartney, Burberry, Mulberry and Levi’s have already tapped into this market.
6. The market will look inward if international shipping remains a serious challenge. This means that dealers will look for new collecting fields and opportunities to market items that have so far been overlooked or neglected. We could see a significant expansion of British Folk Art as a result.
7. Creativity. The greater the challenge, the more inventive and ingenious people tend to be in finding a way around it. After two years of frustration, we should be ready for a mini Renaissance in terms of cultural and business creativity. This could mean rapid progress in developing technology and marketing within the art and antiques market. All of this adds up to widespread opportunity.

“Essentially, we are potentially entering an era of unprecedented opportunity for those with the right mindset,” says Stacey Tiveron. “This does not mean a change in values – expertise, knowledge, quality and striving for the best will always be key to success – but we have to open our eyes to new activity that may not even appear to be part of the market at first but could turn out to be the next big thing in it.”

Hearing the stories of how dealers came to set up their businesses has inspired Mark Hill to be more alert to opportunity too.

“I have been lucky enough to work as a dealer for a long time now, and the thrill of the chase never leaves you,” he said. “That’s why I know it will be just as thrilling for the next generation, a number of whom are already appearing and having significant success because they have a deep understanding of trading in the way that we do. At Ronati, we channel this energy and inspiration into the heart of the business so that we can be an influential part of this developing world.”

About Ronati

Ronati emanates from highly successful tech entrepreneur Stacey Tiveron, who was a trail-blazing pioneer for tech products to help US designers. She launched her first tech platform in the late 90’s and grew that into the largest tech company in the world that exclusively served vetted design professionals. Her company, TODL, was key in helping the interior design industry migrate from offline to online. The Ronati trademark of Celebrating the Unique underscores the migration of her 20 years of expertise in the design industry to the unique landscape of the antiques and one of a kind business, with the underlying mission of helping this industry navigate and conquer the digital world.

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