What: From 31 January 2022, Nordstrom will open a shop in its New York flagship store called “See You Tomorrow” where it will offer customers high fashion second-hand. It is supposed to be a six-month test in the New York store and on the internet.

Why it is important: There is a difference in the Nordstrom approach to second-hand compared to other retailers. The store will source garments from its own inventory: the merchandise will be the ones returned by customers and then cleaned and possibly repaired.

Nordstrom has a liberal return policy, and many of the brands have expressed interest in the test.

Resale garment sales were about USD 28 billion last year and are projected to be about USD 75 billion by the end of 2025. The resale market is growing very fast, but one has to wonder whether this will cannibalize sales from the traditional fashion departments but how much will it divert customer spending. Rent the Runway has captured a good portion of the rental market, and resale companies like RealReal, Fashionphile, ThredUp and Vesitaire are important resale vendors.

Nordstrom Starts Resale Of Luxury Brands January 31