Luxury Resale Report 2019
Exclusive data from The RealReal charting marketplace trends and best-selling brands
in women’s and men’s fashion, fine jewelry and watches, and home decor.
“The RealReal is in the unique position to identify luxury resale trends based on millions of items sold to millions of shoppers. This report is our annual look at what’s rising to the top.
As sustainability becomes a greater motivator, nearly one-third of our community is shopping The RealReal as a replacement for fast fashion. Streetwear is seeing triple-digit year-over-year growth, most heavily driven by millennials, women and Gen X. Gucci is now solidly on top across nearly every category, and has significantly strengthened its lead over other brands.”
Rati Levesque
COO, The RealReal
Gucci & Louis Vuitton Are Winning
The Battle Of The Super Brands
All Eyes On Gucci
| 1 | Gucci |
| 2 | Louis Vuitton |
| 3 | Chanel |
| 4 | Prada |
| 5 | Hermès |
| 6 | Fendi |
| 7 | Christian Dior |
| 8 | Valentino |
| 9 | Christian Louboutin |
| 10 | Balenciaga |
Top 10 Searched Brands
Balenciaga made it into the top 10 for the first time, while Celine dropped from the list.
Gucci & LV continued to increase their lead over all other luxury brands, widening the gap over Chanel by 334% and 227% YoY respectively.
“Gucci and Louis Vuitton have successfully adapted to the shifting demographics of luxury shoppers with relevant collections from creative directors with fresh points of view. From Gucci’s bold maximalism to Louis Vuitton’s streetwear-influenced designs, both brands feel unique among a crowded field of luxury labels vying to win with millennials.”
Rati Levesque
COO, The RealReal
Most-Obsessed
Gucci & Louis Vuitton Items
Gucci
Dionysus Suede Mini Bag
Louis Vuitton
Palm Springs Backpack MM
Gucci
Leather Belt With Double G Buckle
Louis Vuitton
Lockme Backpack Mini
Gucci
Walnut Teddy Bear
Millennials
Fuel The Growth Of
Balenciaga, Dior & Fendi
These brands saw the greatest increases in demand among millennials,
helping them achieve the overall highest growth within the top 10 with
Balenciaga up 102%, Dior up 99% and Fendi up 89%.
Will Resale’s Rise Be The End
Of Fast Fashion?
As environmental impact becomes a key shopping consideration, luxury resale
is changing how people shop and
what they buy.
93%
of customers regularly
shop department stores like
Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom,
Neiman Marcus and
Bloomingdale’s.
32%
of customers say they shop
The RealReal as a replacement
for fast fashion.
93%
of customers regularly
shop department stores like
Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom,
Neiman Marcus and
Bloomingdale’s.
32%
of customers say they shop
The RealReal as a replacement
for fast fashion.
Sustainability,
But Make It Fashion
Consumers Embrace Resale To Reduce Their Fashion Footprint
82%
of customers rank sustainability as an important reason
why they shop
The RealReal.
56%
of consignors cite sustainability as
a key motivation
to consign.
78%
of customers say The RealReal has
changed the way they shop.
“We’re seeing resale shift people’s shopping habits in the primary market. As shoppers get savvier about how they invest and the impact what they’re buying has on the planet, they’re turning to luxury resale as both a replacement for fast fashion and
a barometer of value.”
Allison Sommer
Director of Strategic Initiatives, The RealReal
What’s Trending?
Everything.
The new rule of personal style: anything goes. People are embracing brands and trends from every era to create looks that are uniquely theirs. As trends come back, the women’s resale market reflects the surge in demand as a source for both archival pieces from heritage brands and current collection interpretations from emerging designers.
Micro Trends Are The New Macro Trends
YoY Search Growth Reveals Rising Trends
Mini Bags
+544%
Hair Clips
+378%
Tie-Dye
+364%
Neon
+358%
Blazers
+161%
Cardigans
+112%
Sheer
+111%
PVC
+107%
THE NEW GUARD
Women Who Know
What You Want
| +850% | Staud |
| +717% | Khaite |
| +509% | Totême |
| +465% | Rejina Pyo |
| +355% | Sandy Liang |
Most-Searched Emerging
Women’s Brands
Not All Investment Bags
Are Created Equal
The Classics
Sell them now, or sell them later — these stable investments retain high resale value steadily over time.
Spotlight: Hermès Kelly Sellier
Steady Average Resale Value: 93%
The It Bags
These on-trend styles allow you to maximize your
return on investment, but you’ll
have to act fast.
Spotlight: Mansur Gavriel Bucket Bag
Peak Average Resale Value: 76%
The Revivals
Sleeper styles that make major comebacks surge in value one to two years after making it back on the scene.
Spotlight: Dior Saddle Bag
Post-Resurgence Resale Value Growth: +373%
The Passion Picks
Invest in these pieces for love not money,
as their resale value declines below
average over time.
Spotlight: Chloé Drew
Low Point Average Resale Value: 39%
The Classics
Sell them now, or sell them later — these stable investments retain high resale value steadily over time.
Spotlight: Hermès Kelly Sellier
Steady Average Resale Value: 93%
The It Bags
These on-trend styles allow you to maximize your
return on investment, but you’ll
have to act fast.
Spotlight: Mansur Gavriel Bucket Bag
Peak Average Resale Value: 76%
The Revivals
Sleeper styles that make major comebacks surge in value one to two years after making it back on the scene.
Spotlight: Dior Saddle Bag
Post-Resurgence Resale Value Growth: +373%
The Passion Picks
Invest in these pieces for love not money,
as their resale value declines below
average over time.
Spotlight: Chloé Drew
Low Point Average Resale Value: 39%
*Year 1 represents the launch or initial resurgence of a handbag. Classic bags have steady resale value over any given 5-year period.
“The price of a luxury handbag makes it a true investment, but whether a style has staying power or fizzles out can dramatically impact what it’s worth on the resale market. Shoppers are getting savvier and looking to the secondary market to signal
a bag’s true value.”
Sasha Skoda
Head of Women’s, The RealReal
Emerging
Resale Value Stars
Jacquemus
Le Chiquito 89%
Chloé
C Bag 75%
Fendi
Mon Tresor 69%
Prada
Sidonie66%
Louis Vuitton Dauphine62%
Is Streetwear Unstoppable?
+281%
YoY Streetwear Search
Demand Growth
“Streetwear’s approach of limiting supply has always caused surges of demand in the secondary market, but we’ve seen a big uptick over the past year. Gender neutrality and statement-making pieces are really striking a chord with millennials, but we’ve also seen growth among women and Gen X contributing to the current
streetwear
demand spike.”
Every Demo
Shops The Drop
Streetwear crosses the age and gender divide, but demand is growing
fastest among millennials with searches up 237% YoY.
Yeezy Reigns Supreme
Most-Searched Brands
| 1 | Yeezy |
| 2 | Off-White |
| 3 | Nike |
| 4 | Supreme |
| 5 | Adidas |
Highest Growth Brands
| +1720% | Palm Angels |
| +1660% | Off-White x Nike |
| +958% | BAPE |
| +942% | Off-White |
| +553% | Fear of God |
The Top Sneakers
| +662% | Yeezy |
| +437% | Prada |
| +376% | Balenciaga |
| +339% | Nike |
| +303% | Golden Goose |
The Trending Styles
Bucket Hats
Cargo Pants
Sneakers
“As streetwear demand rises, it’s having a ripple effect across all of men’s fashion. Luxury brands are embracing collaborations and new creative heads to broaden their appeal. It’s paying off in strong luxury demand among streetwear buyers, particularly with Virgil Abloh’s artistic direction for Louis Vuitton and Alessandro Michele’s bold collections for Gucci.”
+56%
YoY increase in shoppers
buying both men’s streetwear
and luxury
Most-Obsessed
High-Value Watches
Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak
Cartier
Tank Française
Rolex
Day-Date
Cartier
Ballon Bleu de Cartier
Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
“Many parts of modern luxury watches are crafted from rare materials and made and assembled by hand. That’s what sets them apart from smart watches. Savvy buyers are latching onto high-end watches as ultimate statement pieces that are also one of the smartest luxury investments.”
While all high-value watches saw YoY sales growth,
the greatest surge was among higher-end
timepieces above $30k.
Limited availability of these popular models in the primary market is driving a surge in resale demand and value.
Younger Buyers Boost Luxury Watch Market
YoY sales growth for watches $5k+
Logomania Invades
Our Homes
Home items with logos have
1.3x higher average resale value than home items without logos.
The resale value for home items with
logos grew 5.5x more than home items
without logos.
“As social media virtually brings the world into people’s homes, it’s creating a fresh opportunity for people to spotlight their sense of style. We’re seeing people latch onto home decor that reflects top fashion trends, like the rise of logomania. As logo-centric pieces hit prime desirability in fashion, it’s boosting demand for logo home pieces that spark instant brand recognition.”
Most-Obsessed
Home Items
Hermès
Avalon Blanket
Goyard
Goyardine Dog Collar
Chanel
CC Throw Pillow
Gucci
GG Pattern Throw Blanket
Louis Vuitton
Mini Monogram Jewelry Trunk
Top Searched Brands
| 1 | Louis Vuitton |
| 2 | Hermès |
| 3 | Goyard |
| 4 | Gucci |
| 5 | Chanel |
Highest Growth Items
| +285% | Louis Vuitton Trunks |
| +192% | Hermès Blankets |
| +177% | Goyard Pet Accessories |