What’s next for Vestiaire Collective after its change in leadership?

Premium and luxury second-hand platform Vestiaire Collective has parted ways with co-founder and president Fanny Moizant. Of the leadership trio assembled in 2019 with managing director Maximilian Bittner and fashion director Sophie Hersan, only the latter remains- the last co-founder still in post at the company. This changing of the guard raises questions about the strategy of Bernard Osta, who recently took the helm and plans to harness AI and marketing to strengthen the platform’s position.

Vestiaire Collective does not publish its figures. Its revenue was estimated at around €414 million for 2024. Operating in more than 70 countries, the platform claims 30,000 new listings per day and around 23 million members.

This shift in governance comes as the clothing sector undergoes a transition of its own. With demand slowing as consumers redirect spending to other categories, industry players are seeking to adapt. Vestiaire Collective must also contend with an online sales model which, after years of strong growth in the West, is no longer insulated from fluctuations in consumer spending.

Consumer spending, after a health crisis, an energy crisis, the invasion of Ukraine, and worsening geopolitical tensions, is now showing its limits even in the luxury market. This is a segment in which Vestiaire Collective has historically built a strong position against other second-hand fashion players, but where the ubiquitous Vinted is now seeking to compete with dedicated features.

“Vestiaire Collective has established itself as the benchmark marketplace in the highly attractive second-hand luxury fashion sector,” said Bernard Osta upon his appointment. “Together, we will continue to transform fashion by giving a second life to the most coveted pieces, in the service of a more sustainable model.”

A study by the French Federation of Circular Fashion (FMC) estimated last year that the European second-hand fashion market would grow by 8.5% per year to reach €26 billion in 2030, compared with €15.9 billion in 2024. These gains will, more than ever, have to be captured from the new-goods market, underpinned by significant investment in technology and communications.

AI and marketing

Like many marketplaces, the French company is betting heavily on artificial intelligence, both to rationalise costs- at a time when investors are closely scrutinising return on investment (ROI)- and to streamline its processes, as AI tools are now capable of purchasing on third-party sites on behalf of customers.

It is a pivot to AI that Vestiaire Collective has already been preparing. At the end of 2024, the company announced its first two AI-powered features, focused on search and recommendations.

But the move towards AI was marked above all by the hiring of Stacia Carr, previously vice president of Fashion Customer Experience at Zalando, where she led engineering and applied sciences. Another heavyweight, Jim Freeman, a US tech figure with stints at Amazon and Zalando, has also joined the board.

“With the rise of AI, we have an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate our product roadmap, offer a more engaging customer experience and gain market share,” says Bernard Osta, whose company now sets out a “vast product roadmap powered by AI to improve the experience of buyers and sellers at an accelerated pace.”

International campaigns

The company also intends to boost its profile, and address a relative lack of brand awareness versus other second-hand players such as Lithuania’s Vinted and France’s Leboncoin. To this end, campaigns have been announced targeting Europe and the US as well as Asia-Pacific (APAC), under the leadership of Samina Virk, who took over as marketing director last July.

In its communications, the company can notably draw on the environmental benefits of reusing clothing. For several seasons, the site has rolled out hard-hitting campaigns showing global capitals and beaches covered in textile waste, and has even enlisted influencers in its fight against fast fashion, which is banned from its platform.

On the financial side, the company last raised €178 million in 2021, followed by a €75 million debt refinancing subsequently. Around €3.5 million was also raised via crowdfunding in 2024.

Since September, the company has offered a menswear category, and in December it was ranked the seventh-largest cross-border resale platform in Europe by CBCommerce Europe. In this “recommerce” ranking, the company sits alongside eBay, H&M, Back Market, and Vinted.

Against its Lithuanian competitor, Vestiaire Collective fully intends to defend its premium and luxury positioning. And perhaps revive an IPO project which, despite the support of minority shareholder Kering, has yet to come to fruition.