Step into the booming world of pre-loved designer handbags with Evey Amery, founder of EveysPreLoved, the London-based luxury consignment business redefining what “sustainable fashion” really means. 💼✨
From Chanel and Hermès to Fendi and beyond, Evey brings transparency, trust, and TV-presenter polish to a market where condition and authenticity are everything. What started as a side hustle while hosting on QVC has grown into a beloved resale brand with a global following. 🌍📦
💡 Key Takeaways:
🔹 Transparency Wins: Why showing signs of wear builds more trust than trying to hide them.
🔹 Circular Luxury: How the resale boom is reshaping buyer behavior—and challenging new designers.
🔹 From Side Hustle to Brand: How handwritten notes and genuine passion created a loyal customer base.
Whether you’re a designer trying to understand the resale impact or a buyer curious about sustainable luxury, this episode offers real talk and smart insights from one of the industry’s most trusted voices. 🎧
🎧 Listen now! #HandbagDesigner101 #SustainableLuxury #PreLovedBags #CircularFashion #LuxuryResale #IndependentBusiness
Our Guest: Evey Amery, founder of Evey’s Pre-Loved, blends a background in broadcasting with a deep love of fashion, building a resale business rooted in authenticity, community, and the enduring charm of a well-traveled bag.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com.
Buy Emily’s Books: “Handbag Designer 101” & “Savvy Suzanna’s Amazing Adventures in Handbags”
Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So I have to get across I have to get across very
quickly, the feeling of it.
Obviously, I need to know everyproduct, I need to understand
it.
I need to know the color, thename.
I immediately show signs ofwear.
I need to do that verytransparently.
I just talk.
I mean, you can leave me in aroom on my own and I will talk
for hours.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast with your host, emilyBlumenthal.
Hi and welcome to HandbagDesigner 101, the podcast with
your host, emily Blumenthal,handbag industry expert and the
handbag fairy godmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:41):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, evie Amory of Evie'sPre-Loved.
I'm so excited to have you onthe podcast, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Thank you, emily, and I've been very excited to be
chatting with you as well.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
And, as you know, americans love an accent, so you
are not here.
Where are you based, evie?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I'm based in London, so I'm actually in North London,
and it's quite funny you saythat because I love the American
accent.
Oh good God, so excited tolearn that you are one of the
key people now within thecircular economy.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat Evie's Pre-Loved is and
what it's about?
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Yes, thank you, and that's very kindly to say so.
Evie's Pre-Loved is a luxuryassignment business.
We specialize in pre-loveddesigner luxury bags from the
likes of Marbury, chanel, fendi.
Luxury bags from the likes ofMarbury, chanel, fendi, hermes,
dior, saint Laurent.
I'm in handbag heaven.
To be really honest, Iabsolutely love what I do, but,
importantly for me, it's aboutsustainability, and I feel every
(02:15):
bag has its own little journey,and once it's finished its
journey with one person, whyshouldn't it continue on with
someone else?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Exactly.
I couldn't agree more.
Are you able, just because thisis you know, not only to have a
brand and a business onpre-loved, high-end luxury bags,
which is very difficult to do.
You also need to become atrusted source from the people
of which you get those bags,from the people of which you get
(02:45):
those bags, how did you developthis affinity and then build
into this brand and thenrecognize that there was
actually a full-on market?
Because I suppose when youstarted, the desire and the
constant need probably didn'texist the way it does now.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Well, I've always worked in fashion and I grew up
in Brighton, so I don't know ifyou know Brighton.
I do.
It's a really cool, eclecticlittle place and funny enough.
Years and years ago, the veryfirst shop that I came across it
was called Names and it wasnear the lanes actually in
Brighton and it was we call itpre-loved, but then it was
(03:21):
secondhand and I always used tobe curious walking past this
shop and I've got to be honestwith you, it was not a la mode
at that point to be buying that.
It wasn't it to be buying otherpeople's clothes and bags and
in a way you know there was,unfortunately, I have to say,
there was some type of snobvalue to that.
You'd think, 100%, why would Ibe doing that?
(03:42):
And is it going to be clean?
And and you know what's itgoing to be clean and you know
what's it going to be like.
So I was always slightlycurious about it.
But bags I was alwayspassionate about.
And to come back to yourquestion, how did I fall into
this?
Since 2012, I've been atelevision presenter, guest
presenter at QVC, and if youknow, and I'm sure you do
freelance work, you never knowwhen you're going to be working.
(04:05):
You know you literally wake upin the morning and there'll be
an email Can you get in in twohours time to do it, or you
might not hear anything for acouple of weeks.
And in the end I was goingcrazy, thinking I love what I do
, but I need to have some typeof control on what I'm doing
myself and I am a huge huge, I'dsay.
(04:26):
I have a curiosity to tarot.
So there's somebody inparticular that I listened to.
I love him.
He's based in the States and hewas always saying you got to
start a side hustler, what'syour side hustle?
And then you can sort of leaveyour main job once your side
hustle is working.
So I thought what can I do onthe side?
That's not going to impact onthe fact that I can be available
in an hour's time if QVC needme.
(04:48):
So I thought, right, I've got afollowing already because I've
been a television presenterthere for a fashion brand and I
had a nice sort of following onFacebook and Instagram and I
somehow put it out there that Iwas doing this.
I'd had my own bags anyway,that I'd been sourcing and
collecting during the pandemic,and after the pandemic I went
(05:10):
off to a fantastic place calledGoodwood Revival with my husband
, had a little trestle tableliterally a trestle table with a
black velvet covering on it andI sold all the bags and I
thought this is good.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
There must be a bit of a market here.
Did you know how to mark themup like?
Did you know how to price them?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yes, I was doing my research and looking and I also,
you know, was thinking, okay,what have I paid?
What's the market value, what'srealistic?
But I have to say, at GoodwoodRevival the ladies were so
delighted with this littleselection and the prices didn't
seem to be an issue.
So I think I'd actually reallydone the research, okay, and
(05:47):
they were being sold, you know,at the right price point.
So after that, the littlefollowing that I had, I sort of
put it out there, started totalk about what I was doing,
word of mouth, literally.
You know, no advertising atthat point, it was just me
marketing myself.
But then I love to talk, isprobably your guess, so I chat
(06:08):
anywhere.
In fact my kids hate going outwith me because it can take
quite a long time if I stop andI start to talk.
I've always got a business cardand I'll always talk about bags
, so it's right, right, all fromthere, really, and obviously
pre-loved was really pushingitself up to the fore
sustainability, this wholedesire to actually wear pieces
(06:29):
that actually somebody didn'twant anymore and was going to be
stopping that sort of that hugewave of waste.
You know the waste is massive.
So it was sort of this turn ofevent and it just sometimes,
when something is meant to be,you don't have to work too hard
at it.
I've had so many differenttimes where I've knocked on the
(06:50):
door it won't open and I'vepushed and, pushed and pushed
and been really stubborn and itstill won't open.
But with this it flowed andluckily it continues to flow.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, so, oh, my God, this is so exciting.
I could talk about this all day.
I'm chatty too.
I had my seat moved all throughelementary school purely for
being disruptive, where it saystalk successively in class, so
I'm here for it.
So the first bags you had yousaid were yours right?
Yes, have a pretty good ideajust within the States how the
(07:29):
real, real works and other sitesor enterprises like that and
the amount of people that theyhire to connect with other
people who would have those bagsto sell, get rid of, offload,
the whole thing like that's afull time job.
They have those jobs posted allthe time and then an appraiser
and then, especially like withentropy and lawsuits that go
(07:51):
with everybody.
Now, how are you able andclearly, because it's you and
you're already trusted andvalidated how are you able to
find more inventory?
How did that work?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
You know, every week I say to my husband oh my gosh,
what happens if nothing comesnext week?
It just comes.
You know, sometimes I thinkit's with the universe sort of
looking down and it's a case ofI have have, luckily, I've got a
really loyal following.
Buyers become sellers, sellersbecome buyers.
Once you start to sell, it canbe a little bit addictive and
(08:24):
then you think, oh my gosh, whatelse am I not using that?
I can get some more money, forpeople tell their friends I have
a television commercial as wellthat fell out of nowhere.
That was basically a client ofmine and I said you know what
you do.
You should all I actually dotelevision commercials, and I
was like where does it?
air.
It airs across differentplatforms um sky, so different
(08:44):
channels on sky.
So I did that last year, whichwas quite fun.
I really really do a lot onInstagram, so it it's word of
mouth.
Our reviews are great.
Thankfully, it keeps coming andI'm just very grateful that it
does so every time I get newitems like I had a Mulberry
delivery this morning and it'sso exciting just to go through
(09:07):
them all, so it's really a joy.
I always find you've got to.
I've always said actually notfind you need to do something
that you love, because for meit's a 24 seven job.
It's not a case of nine to five, but when you really do
something, it becomes your lifein a way.
So it's not, it's not actualwork.
It's what I enjoy to do,Although I know I'm a little bit
(09:29):
of a workaholic.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Oh well, you know, I think once you're a mom of
multiples, that just becomespart of your day in and day out
life.
Like I can't sit still, becauseonce you sit still, your mind
starts to think I should bedoing something else.
What am I not doing?
There's more things I can do.
I think that's just by default,how we are, by function.
How long and how much inventorydo you keep at a time Like with
(09:53):
your social following?
Hi, I've got this new bag.
Here's what it is.
I mean, because you're soseasoned on QVC going on
Instagram, it's essentially yourprivate channel.
How are you able to startintegrating in like?
Okay, now I have these bags.
How do you go into the uniqueselling?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
points of each one, I have to say.
I mean, I'm on stories all thetime and I'm daily doing content
.
I think I've been trained and Ido think QVC are amazing at
training I speak to someone asif, in a way, they can't see it.
So I have to get across.
I have to get across veryquickly the feeling of it.
Obviously, I need to know everyproduct, I need to understand
(10:42):
it.
I need to know the color, thename.
I immediately show signs ofwhere need to do that very
transparently.
I just talk.
I mean, you can leave me in aroom on my own and I will talk
for hours.
I see you, I get that it'slovely to talk and share about
it and maybe I don't know, Ijust connect with them.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
So you know, based on what's going on in the market,
are you able to touch upontrends or see that, okay,
everybody's trying to offloadthese bags, so clearly the
interest is waning.
How do you see trends andhandle it?
Or is it just product comes andit comes and you sell it?
(11:23):
I know at this point you mustbe discerning.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
It is a case of products come and then I sell it
.
The only way that I can say I'mdiscerning to how I was in the
beginning is I really find thatbecause the items are
photographed for the website,they need to photograph well.
So I'm now more discerning tothe quality of the wear.
(11:47):
I mean, obviously pre-loved islovely, but there can be more
love in some pre-loved yeah,yeah Than others.
And I'll also be verytransparent to say to someone if
you are someone that mindsmarks or scuffs, don't buy it.
You know, maybe pre-loved isnot for you.
Or it could be a pre-loved bagthat's been bought and left in
its box and hasn't got any signsof wear.
(12:09):
Then that's your pre-loved,that's fine, right, right, right
right.
But I am, I'm definitely morediscerning with the quality and
especially if there isdiscoloration and I know that
that's going to be a problem and, you know, translate in a
negative way on the website.
I won't take certain things onnow and the only way I'll do
(12:29):
something and I've done it a fewtimes is not for the website.
I call it a project bag.
You know, sometimes project bag, that's an amazing Birkin, but
it's really.
You know, it's had a lot oflove, but some people don't mind
that because they want to havethe Birkin.
So yeah, way I might do a fewproject ones which tend to be
more for the Instagrams asopposed to on the website.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
No, that totally makes sense.
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Have you seen trends in termsof which bags people because I'm
sure, as a result of who youare, you must get requests like
(14:37):
oh, I'm searching for this, I'msearching for that, especially
with all the tariffs and peoplesaying that there will be, and
has already started to be, ahuge uptick in retail prices of,
obviously, you know, I meanChanel, forget it.
Chanel's jumped like, I think,200% in terms of prices, but
(14:57):
Loewe right now is so hot andall of these bags that you know
were really hot in the 2000s orthe noughts are making a
resurgence.
Are you able to startpinpointing trends that you can
actually see based on the bagsthat you're getting?
Speaker 1 (15:14):
No, not too much, I mean.
I think also I have a certaindemographic, my customers have a
certain demographic.
I don't think the majority ofthem are too trend-led In that
way.
I'm not seeing, oh, there's acertain trend as such.
I know that there's always ademand for, let's say, the Fendi
(15:36):
baguette bag and I don't thinkthat's a trend.
I just think that's sort of amainstay.
That said, there could havebeen something with Sex and the
City whereby that might havepinged up and for a week that
might have been the call-inRight, no-transcript, something
(16:22):
of a boom.
Well, there is a boom at theminute with the Louis Vuitton to
Kashmir Akami collaboration,because obviously that was
redone.
So I have had a couple of likeoh, I've got the multicolores in
.
There's a little bit of demandthere.
So sometimes that trend mightbe captured if it's just on the
back of a release of the samedesigners currently versus when
(16:46):
they first launched it.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Right.
So it's funny that youmentioned the Chanel flap.
I worked closely withBloomingdale's a number of years
ago when we were partneringwith them with the Handbag
Awards and one of the head ofthe fashion department, the DMM,
had said to me and this was atRebecca Minkoff's peak that she,
(17:11):
referring to the customer withher first job, that she would
spend her money on a RebeccaMinkoff morning after bag and as
soon as she had a salary bumpshe would immediately go buy
Chanel flap.
That was what the trend was andI just saw a clip, because
obviously we are all targetedthat someone who was trying to
(17:33):
see if they could justifyspending $1,000 on a Chanel flap
and then it showed over theyears that went from $1,500 to
$2,500 to now it's $10,000 forsomething that you know
historically, years back couldhave been within a price point
range, but you just couldn'tjustify it.
So it's so interesting abouthow this market is going Right.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
I listened to something that you said, which I
found fascinating on a podcastand it was so true.
I think you were talking toanother Emily.
I didn't think about that and Ithink it was.
The question was about whethersomebody would spend, let's say,
$1,000 on a bag that's adesigner that's not well known
(18:19):
Versus I'm sure it was you,because I know I listened to
this versus, let's say, apre-loved luxury designer bag.
Correct, all the way they do.
They do do it.
I see it myself.
You know you've got thatthousand dollars.
What are you going to put it to?
And pretty much it's going tobe a pre-loved, you know,
correct.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Correct, no, Pre-loved, and that is just the
(19:06):
reality.
That, you know, unfortunatelyputs all of these designers in a
challenging spot because theydon't have the orders to then be
able to have economies of scaleto price their bags accordingly
.
Therefore, if they want to havea markup or margin, it's got to
be either razor thin or barelyany.
If they want to even get intothe retail space, it's almost
(19:28):
impossible.
I want to talk a little bitabout and I love that you
brought this up your customer.
One of the biggest mistakes thatso many designers and brands
and people all together whenstarting a business is thinking
they know their customer.
And again, the designers I'veworked with, the students I've
(19:49):
taught, everybody thinks they'reaspiring to this fabulous
metropolitan city girl who isjust, you know, having cocktails
, living the big life, and she'sjust amazing.
And I have had to educate andinspire and tell these desires.
Go back and look at where yoursales come from, Look at the zip
(20:11):
codes where we're zip codeshere, and then go back and look
at the socioeconomics of thatparticular area and then see if
that area has more than aWalmart, a church, a bar and a
school and that people areessentially just buying it to
make them feel good and to makethem feel special, less so to be
(20:33):
so impressive around you knowas the gal on the town.
So how are you able torecognize who she, he, they are
amongst your customerdemographic?
Speaker 1 (20:47):
So I feel where my USP is is.
I have a very personal servicethat I offer.
Effectively, you get me at theend of the call or the email.
So on Instagram I have grown acommunity of now over 25,000.
Amazing Thank you with all ofthem.
(21:09):
So I pretty much know them now.
I mean not all 25,000, butwhoever's buying, I know them by
name.
I am a chatty person.
I get to know them so obviouslythrough that I can ascertain
their age, their family, thingslike that.
So I understand that she'ssimilar to me and I'm in my
mid-50s, so give or take 10years, let's say either way.
(21:33):
So in essence, I know I feel Iknow pretty much who the
customer is.
Interestingly, I look at otherplatforms and other people and I
think on my website should I behaving a younger lady?
Should I be having somebodywho's in their 20s or 30s, or
should it be me who is more of amature lady?
(21:54):
Because that's the customer andI kept with me until I retire
myself because it felt a littlebit more authentic.
But equally, I've learned toask my audience what do you like
?
Would you prefer to seesomebody younger?
What do you want?
So I feel I know who she isbased on my communication with
(22:17):
her, and that might well alter.
It might well alter, but I'mnot on TikTok at the minute,
well, not hugely so.
At the minute my platform isInstagram and and then below
Instagram it's Facebook.
So I think I've got a prettygood idea of who the customer is
.
But I continue to ask questionswhat would, what would you like
to see?
Would you like to see more ofthis or or that?
(22:37):
And I've seen that from othervery, very successful designers,
vendors who engage with theircommunity, because that's how
you learn what they want and whothey are most importantly, my
God, I mean, that's so textbook,what is supposed to be done?
Speaker 2 (22:56):
We just touched upon scale.
Do you think, or what you do,that it is a hindrance?
That essentially, it is all youand I know this personalized
quality, you know that's amazing, I mean because I respond to
everything and people typicallyare like oh my God, I can't
believe it's you and I'mthinking who else is it going to
(23:17):
be?
Do you think at some point foryou to grow or are you content
with this personalizedone-on-one?
Speaker 1 (23:26):
I say it's all me.
There's a team of five of usindependently surrounding me,
you know, who look afterdifferent elements of the
business, but I am the face ofthe business.
Yes, it may well be a hindrancebecause in a way, I've branded
myself which is a double-edgedsword.
I think I did that based on thefact that I'm, to a degree I've
(23:49):
had sort of I don't know 13years now at QVC.
So people do trust in the factthat they know who I am.
I'm not some stranger in thecorner of somewhere with their
beautiful bags, right.
I'm not some stranger in thecorner of somewhere with their
beautiful bags, right.
There is a team behind me whohave the administration element
and the dispatches and all ofthat.
But to front face, it is me.
(24:10):
Yes, I know I'm going to have tohave another me.
Definitely I couldn't cope withtwo of myself, but I do know
there needs to be another me.
But I'm also trusting thatorganically, it's going to
happen with the right person.
And it's taken a lot because Iam a control freak.
It's taken a lot for me torelease the things I can release
(24:30):
in terms of the packing andalthough I like to oversee that
from a distance, but I have gota very patient young lady who
works with me.
So those elements I've managedto release, which is quite a big
thing for a perfectionist Virgo, I'm guessing there.
And sometimes I work with mylovely son, who did come into
(24:50):
the business with me.
He's my younger son.
It was very challenging and nowwe work from a distance.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
That's the safest way , real quick, before we wrap up.
When you started this and I'massuming this is the case, did
you because personalization, theEV touch did you put in thank
you notes?
Did you put in some sort of youknow email, like what was the
final touch that you feltencapsulated, this whole EVie's
(25:20):
loved experience of purchasingEverybody?
Speaker 1 (25:24):
gets a handwritten note from me Everybody.
Whether they can read it isanother thing.
My handwriting is horrific.
You can get some antibioticsoff it.
To be fair, oh my God,Everybody has a handwritten note
because I'm very old-fashionedin that.
I think it's really important.
I love sending cards and Iwanted that to be a little bit
of a standout point.
(25:44):
So, yes, I will.
You know, I'll send a littleemail if it's the first time,
because I like to hear thejourney.
That's also very important.
Did you find me throughInstagram or a?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
commercial.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Or where did you find me?
But other than that, everysingle order I'd say pretty much
I hope every single order willhave a little personalized card
from me, and actually I do havea really lovely little image of
myself that was by anillustrator, so you'll see, it's
, I'd like to say, a youngerversion of myself.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
I think you're fabulous.
I don't think anything needs tobe younger, thank you.
Thank you very much.
Oh my goodness, evie, this hasbeen an absolute delight.
How can people find you, followyou and get their hands on an
Evie Touched, pre-loved bag?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Oh, thank you, I mean .
I'd like to also point out,although we're based in UK, we
ship everywhere, so we do.
We love to ship across the pondas well.
So, eviesprelovedcom you canactually visit the website and
see a lovely selection, butdefinitely follow me on
Instagram at Evies Preloved, wehave ladies from the States,
australia, all across Europe, soyou can find me there and join
(26:52):
our community.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
And I just want to preface it's E-V-E-Y.
That's Evie, that's becauseyou're special, so this is
fabulous.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Thank you for having me, emily.
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
(27:14):
See you next time.
So I have to get across I have to get across very
quickly, the feeling of it.
Obviously, I need to know everyproduct, I need to understand
it.
I need to know the color, thename.
I immediately show signs ofwear.
I need to do that verytransparently.
I just talk.
I mean, you can leave me in aroom on my own and I will talk
for hours.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast with your host, emilyBlumenthal.
Hi and welcome to HandbagDesigner 101, the podcast with
your host, emily Blumenthal,handbag industry expert and the
handbag fairy godmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:41):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, evie Amory of Evie'sPre-Loved.
I'm so excited to have you onthe podcast, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Thank you, emily, and I've been very excited to be
chatting with you as well.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
And, as you know, americans love an accent, so you
are not here.
Where are you based, evie?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I'm based in London, so I'm actually in North London,
and it's quite funny you saythat because I love the American
accent.
Oh good God, so excited tolearn that you are one of the
key people now within thecircular economy.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat Evie's Pre-Loved is and
what it's about?
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Yes, thank you, and that's very kindly to say so.
Evie's Pre-Loved is a luxuryassignment business.
We specialize in pre-loveddesigner luxury bags from the
likes of Marbury, chanel, fendi.
Luxury bags from the likes ofMarbury, chanel, fendi, hermes,
dior, saint Laurent.
I'm in handbag heaven.
To be really honest, Iabsolutely love what I do, but,
importantly for me, it's aboutsustainability, and I feel every
(02:15):
bag has its own little journey,and once it's finished its
journey with one person, whyshouldn't it continue on with
someone else?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Exactly.
I couldn't agree more.
Are you able, just because thisis you know, not only to have a
brand and a business onpre-loved, high-end luxury bags,
which is very difficult to do.
You also need to become atrusted source from the people
of which you get those bags,from the people of which you get
(02:45):
those bags, how did you developthis affinity and then build
into this brand and thenrecognize that there was
actually a full-on market?
Because I suppose when youstarted, the desire and the
constant need probably didn'texist the way it does now.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Well, I've always worked in fashion and I grew up
in Brighton, so I don't know ifyou know Brighton.
I do.
It's a really cool, eclecticlittle place and funny enough.
Years and years ago, the veryfirst shop that I came across it
was called Names and it wasnear the lanes actually in
Brighton and it was we call itpre-loved, but then it was
(03:21):
secondhand and I always used tobe curious walking past this
shop and I've got to be honestwith you, it was not a la mode
at that point to be buying that.
It wasn't it to be buying otherpeople's clothes and bags and
in a way you know there was,unfortunately, I have to say,
there was some type of snobvalue to that.
You'd think, 100%, why would Ibe doing that?
(03:42):
And is it going to be clean?
And and you know what's itgoing to be clean and you know
what's it going to be like.
So I was always slightlycurious about it.
But bags I was alwayspassionate about.
And to come back to yourquestion, how did I fall into
this?
Since 2012, I've been atelevision presenter, guest
presenter at QVC, and if youknow, and I'm sure you do
freelance work, you never knowwhen you're going to be working.
(04:05):
You know you literally wake upin the morning and there'll be
an email Can you get in in twohours time to do it, or you
might not hear anything for acouple of weeks.
And in the end I was goingcrazy, thinking I love what I do
, but I need to have some typeof control on what I'm doing
myself and I am a huge huge, I'dsay.
(04:26):
I have a curiosity to tarot.
So there's somebody inparticular that I listened to.
I love him.
He's based in the States and hewas always saying you got to
start a side hustler, what'syour side hustle?
And then you can sort of leaveyour main job once your side
hustle is working.
So I thought what can I do onthe side?
That's not going to impact onthe fact that I can be available
in an hour's time if QVC needme.
(04:48):
So I thought, right, I've got afollowing already because I've
been a television presenterthere for a fashion brand and I
had a nice sort of following onFacebook and Instagram and I
somehow put it out there that Iwas doing this.
I'd had my own bags anyway,that I'd been sourcing and
collecting during the pandemic,and after the pandemic I went
(05:10):
off to a fantastic place calledGoodwood Revival with my husband
, had a little trestle tableliterally a trestle table with a
black velvet covering on it andI sold all the bags and I
thought this is good.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
There must be a bit of a market here.
Did you know how to mark themup like?
Did you know how to price them?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yes, I was doing my research and looking and I also,
you know, was thinking, okay,what have I paid?
What's the market value, what'srealistic?
But I have to say, at GoodwoodRevival the ladies were so
delighted with this littleselection and the prices didn't
seem to be an issue.
So I think I'd actually reallydone the research, okay, and
(05:47):
they were being sold, you know,at the right price point.
So after that, the littlefollowing that I had, I sort of
put it out there, started totalk about what I was doing,
word of mouth, literally.
You know, no advertising atthat point, it was just me
marketing myself.
But then I love to talk, isprobably your guess, so I chat
(06:08):
anywhere.
In fact my kids hate going outwith me because it can take
quite a long time if I stop andI start to talk.
I've always got a business cardand I'll always talk about bags
, so it's right, right, all fromthere, really, and obviously
pre-loved was really pushingitself up to the fore
sustainability, this wholedesire to actually wear pieces
(06:29):
that actually somebody didn'twant anymore and was going to be
stopping that sort of that hugewave of waste.
You know the waste is massive.
So it was sort of this turn ofevent and it just sometimes,
when something is meant to be,you don't have to work too hard
at it.
I've had so many differenttimes where I've knocked on the
(06:50):
door it won't open and I'vepushed and, pushed and pushed
and been really stubborn and itstill won't open.
But with this it flowed andluckily it continues to flow.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, so, oh, my God, this is so exciting.
I could talk about this all day.
I'm chatty too.
I had my seat moved all throughelementary school purely for
being disruptive, where it saystalk successively in class, so
I'm here for it.
So the first bags you had yousaid were yours right?
Yes, have a pretty good ideajust within the States how the
(07:29):
real, real works and other sitesor enterprises like that and
the amount of people that theyhire to connect with other
people who would have those bagsto sell, get rid of, offload,
the whole thing like that's afull time job.
They have those jobs posted allthe time and then an appraiser
and then, especially like withentropy and lawsuits that go
(07:51):
with everybody.
Now, how are you able andclearly, because it's you and
you're already trusted andvalidated how are you able to
find more inventory?
How did that work?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
You know, every week I say to my husband oh my gosh,
what happens if nothing comesnext week?
It just comes.
You know, sometimes I thinkit's with the universe sort of
looking down and it's a case ofI have have, luckily, I've got a
really loyal following.
Buyers become sellers, sellersbecome buyers.
Once you start to sell, it canbe a little bit addictive and
(08:24):
then you think, oh my gosh, whatelse am I not using that?
I can get some more money, forpeople tell their friends I have
a television commercial as wellthat fell out of nowhere.
That was basically a client ofmine and I said you know what
you do.
You should all I actually dotelevision commercials, and I
was like where does it?
air.
It airs across differentplatforms um sky, so different
(08:44):
channels on sky.
So I did that last year, whichwas quite fun.
I really really do a lot onInstagram, so it it's word of
mouth.
Our reviews are great.
Thankfully, it keeps coming andI'm just very grateful that it
does so every time I get newitems like I had a Mulberry
delivery this morning and it'sso exciting just to go through
(09:07):
them all, so it's really a joy.
I always find you've got to.
I've always said actually notfind you need to do something
that you love, because for meit's a 24 seven job.
It's not a case of nine to five, but when you really do
something, it becomes your lifein a way.
So it's not, it's not actualwork.
It's what I enjoy to do,Although I know I'm a little bit
(09:29):
of a workaholic.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Oh well, you know, I think once you're a mom of
multiples, that just becomespart of your day in and day out
life.
Like I can't sit still, becauseonce you sit still, your mind
starts to think I should bedoing something else.
What am I not doing?
There's more things I can do.
I think that's just by default,how we are, by function.
How long and how much inventorydo you keep at a time Like with
(09:53):
your social following?
Hi, I've got this new bag.
Here's what it is.
I mean, because you're soseasoned on QVC going on
Instagram, it's essentially yourprivate channel.
How are you able to startintegrating in like?
Okay, now I have these bags.
How do you go into the uniqueselling?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
points of each one, I have to say.
I mean, I'm on stories all thetime and I'm daily doing content
.
I think I've been trained and Ido think QVC are amazing at
training I speak to someone asif, in a way, they can't see it.
So I have to get across.
I have to get across veryquickly the feeling of it.
Obviously, I need to know everyproduct, I need to understand
(10:42):
it.
I need to know the color, thename.
I immediately show signs ofwhere need to do that very
transparently.
I just talk.
I mean, you can leave me in aroom on my own and I will talk
for hours.
I see you, I get that it'slovely to talk and share about
it and maybe I don't know, Ijust connect with them.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
So you know, based on what's going on in the market,
are you able to touch upontrends or see that, okay,
everybody's trying to offloadthese bags, so clearly the
interest is waning.
How do you see trends andhandle it?
Or is it just product comes andit comes and you sell it?
(11:23):
I know at this point you mustbe discerning.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
It is a case of products come and then I sell it
.
The only way that I can say I'mdiscerning to how I was in the
beginning is I really find thatbecause the items are
photographed for the website,they need to photograph well.
So I'm now more discerning tothe quality of the wear.
(11:47):
I mean, obviously pre-loved islovely, but there can be more
love in some pre-loved yeah,yeah Than others.
And I'll also be verytransparent to say to someone if
you are someone that mindsmarks or scuffs, don't buy it.
You know, maybe pre-loved isnot for you.
Or it could be a pre-loved bagthat's been bought and left in
its box and hasn't got any signsof wear.
(12:09):
Then that's your pre-loved,that's fine, right, right, right
right.
But I am, I'm definitely morediscerning with the quality and
especially if there isdiscoloration and I know that
that's going to be a problem and, you know, translate in a
negative way on the website.
I won't take certain things onnow and the only way I'll do
(12:29):
something and I've done it a fewtimes is not for the website.
I call it a project bag.
You know, sometimes project bag, that's an amazing Birkin, but
it's really.
You know, it's had a lot oflove, but some people don't mind
that because they want to havethe Birkin.
So yeah, way I might do a fewproject ones which tend to be
more for the Instagrams asopposed to on the website.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
No, that totally makes sense.
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Have you seen trends in termsof which bags people because I'm
sure, as a result of who youare, you must get requests like
(14:37):
oh, I'm searching for this, I'msearching for that, especially
with all the tariffs and peoplesaying that there will be, and
has already started to be, ahuge uptick in retail prices of,
obviously, you know, I meanChanel, forget it.
Chanel's jumped like, I think,200% in terms of prices, but
(14:57):
Loewe right now is so hot andall of these bags that you know
were really hot in the 2000s orthe noughts are making a
resurgence.
Are you able to startpinpointing trends that you can
actually see based on the bagsthat you're getting?
Speaker 1 (15:14):
No, not too much, I mean.
I think also I have a certaindemographic, my customers have a
certain demographic.
I don't think the majority ofthem are too trend-led In that
way.
I'm not seeing, oh, there's acertain trend as such.
I know that there's always ademand for, let's say, the Fendi
(15:36):
baguette bag and I don't thinkthat's a trend.
I just think that's sort of amainstay.
That said, there could havebeen something with Sex and the
City whereby that might havepinged up and for a week that
might have been the call-inRight, no-transcript, something
(16:22):
of a boom.
Well, there is a boom at theminute with the Louis Vuitton to
Kashmir Akami collaboration,because obviously that was
redone.
So I have had a couple of likeoh, I've got the multicolores in
.
There's a little bit of demandthere.
So sometimes that trend mightbe captured if it's just on the
back of a release of the samedesigners currently versus when
(16:46):
they first launched it.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Right.
So it's funny that youmentioned the Chanel flap.
I worked closely withBloomingdale's a number of years
ago when we were partneringwith them with the Handbag
Awards and one of the head ofthe fashion department, the DMM,
had said to me and this was atRebecca Minkoff's peak that she,
(17:11):
referring to the customer withher first job, that she would
spend her money on a RebeccaMinkoff morning after bag and as
soon as she had a salary bumpshe would immediately go buy
Chanel flap.
That was what the trend was andI just saw a clip, because
obviously we are all targetedthat someone who was trying to
(17:33):
see if they could justifyspending $1,000 on a Chanel flap
and then it showed over theyears that went from $1,500 to
$2,500 to now it's $10,000 forsomething that you know
historically, years back couldhave been within a price point
range, but you just couldn'tjustify it.
So it's so interesting abouthow this market is going Right.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
I listened to something that you said, which I
found fascinating on a podcastand it was so true.
I think you were talking toanother Emily.
I didn't think about that and Ithink it was.
The question was about whethersomebody would spend, let's say,
$1,000 on a bag that's adesigner that's not well known
(18:19):
Versus I'm sure it was you,because I know I listened to
this versus, let's say, apre-loved luxury designer bag.
Correct, all the way they do.
They do do it.
I see it myself.
You know you've got thatthousand dollars.
What are you going to put it to?
And pretty much it's going tobe a pre-loved, you know,
correct.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Correct, no, Pre-loved, and that is just the
(19:06):
reality.
That, you know, unfortunatelyputs all of these designers in a
challenging spot because theydon't have the orders to then be
able to have economies of scaleto price their bags accordingly
.
Therefore, if they want to havea markup or margin, it's got to
be either razor thin or barelyany.
If they want to even get intothe retail space, it's almost
(19:28):
impossible.
I want to talk a little bitabout and I love that you
brought this up your customer.
One of the biggest mistakes thatso many designers and brands
and people all together whenstarting a business is thinking
they know their customer.
And again, the designers I'veworked with, the students I've
(19:49):
taught, everybody thinks they'reaspiring to this fabulous
metropolitan city girl who isjust, you know, having cocktails
, living the big life, and she'sjust amazing.
And I have had to educate andinspire and tell these desires.
Go back and look at where yoursales come from, Look at the zip
(20:11):
codes where we're zip codeshere, and then go back and look
at the socioeconomics of thatparticular area and then see if
that area has more than aWalmart, a church, a bar and a
school and that people areessentially just buying it to
make them feel good and to makethem feel special, less so to be
(20:33):
so impressive around you knowas the gal on the town.
So how are you able torecognize who she, he, they are
amongst your customerdemographic?
Speaker 1 (20:47):
So I feel where my USP is is.
I have a very personal servicethat I offer.
Effectively, you get me at theend of the call or the email.
So on Instagram I have grown acommunity of now over 25,000.
Amazing Thank you with all ofthem.
(21:09):
So I pretty much know them now.
I mean not all 25,000, butwhoever's buying, I know them by
name.
I am a chatty person.
I get to know them so obviouslythrough that I can ascertain
their age, their family, thingslike that.
So I understand that she'ssimilar to me and I'm in my
mid-50s, so give or take 10years, let's say either way.
(21:33):
So in essence, I know I feel Iknow pretty much who the
customer is.
Interestingly, I look at otherplatforms and other people and I
think on my website should I behaving a younger lady?
Should I be having somebodywho's in their 20s or 30s, or
should it be me who is more of amature lady?
(21:54):
Because that's the customer andI kept with me until I retire
myself because it felt a littlebit more authentic.
But equally, I've learned toask my audience what do you like
?
Would you prefer to seesomebody younger?
What do you want?
So I feel I know who she isbased on my communication with
(22:17):
her, and that might well alter.
It might well alter, but I'mnot on TikTok at the minute,
well, not hugely so.
At the minute my platform isInstagram and and then below
Instagram it's Facebook.
So I think I've got a prettygood idea of who the customer is
.
But I continue to ask questionswhat would, what would you like
to see?
Would you like to see more ofthis or or that?
(22:37):
And I've seen that from othervery, very successful designers,
vendors who engage with theircommunity, because that's how
you learn what they want and whothey are most importantly, my
God, I mean, that's so textbook,what is supposed to be done?
Speaker 2 (22:56):
We just touched upon scale.
Do you think, or what you do,that it is a hindrance?
That essentially, it is all youand I know this personalized
quality, you know that's amazing, I mean because I respond to
everything and people typicallyare like oh my God, I can't
believe it's you and I'mthinking who else is it going to
(23:17):
be?
Do you think at some point foryou to grow or are you content
with this personalizedone-on-one?
Speaker 1 (23:26):
I say it's all me.
There's a team of five of usindependently surrounding me,
you know, who look afterdifferent elements of the
business, but I am the face ofthe business.
Yes, it may well be a hindrancebecause in a way, I've branded
myself which is a double-edgedsword.
I think I did that based on thefact that I'm, to a degree I've
(23:49):
had sort of I don't know 13years now at QVC.
So people do trust in the factthat they know who I am.
I'm not some stranger in thecorner of somewhere with their
beautiful bags, right.
I'm not some stranger in thecorner of somewhere with their
beautiful bags, right.
There is a team behind me whohave the administration element
and the dispatches and all ofthat.
But to front face, it is me.
(24:10):
Yes, I know I'm going to have tohave another me.
Definitely I couldn't cope withtwo of myself, but I do know
there needs to be another me.
But I'm also trusting thatorganically, it's going to
happen with the right person.
And it's taken a lot because Iam a control freak.
It's taken a lot for me torelease the things I can release
(24:30):
in terms of the packing andalthough I like to oversee that
from a distance, but I have gota very patient young lady who
works with me.
So those elements I've managedto release, which is quite a big
thing for a perfectionist Virgo, I'm guessing there.
And sometimes I work with mylovely son, who did come into
(24:50):
the business with me.
He's my younger son.
It was very challenging and nowwe work from a distance.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
That's the safest way , real quick, before we wrap up.
When you started this and I'massuming this is the case, did
you because personalization, theEV touch did you put in thank
you notes?
Did you put in some sort of youknow email, like what was the
final touch that you feltencapsulated, this whole EVie's
(25:20):
loved experience of purchasingEverybody?
Speaker 1 (25:24):
gets a handwritten note from me Everybody.
Whether they can read it isanother thing.
My handwriting is horrific.
You can get some antibioticsoff it.
To be fair, oh my God,Everybody has a handwritten note
because I'm very old-fashionedin that.
I think it's really important.
I love sending cards and Iwanted that to be a little bit
of a standout point.
(25:44):
So, yes, I will.
You know, I'll send a littleemail if it's the first time,
because I like to hear thejourney.
That's also very important.
Did you find me throughInstagram or a?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
commercial.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Or where did you find me?
But other than that, everysingle order I'd say pretty much
I hope every single order willhave a little personalized card
from me, and actually I do havea really lovely little image of
myself that was by anillustrator, so you'll see, it's
, I'd like to say, a youngerversion of myself.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
I think you're fabulous.
I don't think anything needs tobe younger, thank you.
Thank you very much.
Oh my goodness, evie, this hasbeen an absolute delight.
How can people find you, followyou and get their hands on an
Evie Touched, pre-loved bag?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Oh, thank you, I mean .
I'd like to also point out,although we're based in UK, we
ship everywhere, so we do.
We love to ship across the pondas well.
So, eviesprelovedcom you canactually visit the website and
see a lovely selection, butdefinitely follow me on
Instagram at Evies Preloved, wehave ladies from the States,
australia, all across Europe, soyou can find me there and join
(26:52):
our community.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
And I just want to preface it's E-V-E-Y.
That's Evie, that's becauseyou're special, so this is
fabulous.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Thank you for having me, emily.
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
(27:14):
See you next time.
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