Bottega Veneta launched in June, 2022 the 'Bottega Series'. The Italian fashion house has opened a new section on its website where products from past collections are once again available for sale.

According to Deloitte (2021), 28% of consumers in the UK have stopped buying certain products due to ethical and ecological concerns. Therefore, developing models that focus on sustainability and support the circular economy is critical to satisfying what Harvard Business Review (2019) calls the “Elusive Green Consumer.”

Some time ago, references to past collections were a helpful way for luxury brands to capitalise on their extensive archives. However, they have never really been for sale.

Currently, the Cabat and Banana bag models are offered in three colours each. The archival pieces, the oldest of which is about three-years-old, will be updated monthly on the website and are available for the original price the product had at the initial launch of the collection, according to Bottega Veneta CEO.

The pieces do not come as second-hand products from customers, as is often the case with similar concepts, but from the brand's own stock.

A new eco-conscious generation is joining the fashion nostalgics to kick off the trend of buying a brand’s unsold stock at its full price. For brands that are aware of their impact, the strategy of reselling archives could take on a new form, driven by a new environmentally conscious generation that draws inspiration from the past.

“The philosophy of Bottega Series challenges the very concept of season: timeless pieces do not need to adhere to a seasonal calendar,” Leo Rongone, CEO of the brand, told Vogue Business after announcing that launch on stage at the recent Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen.

It was again CEO Leo Rongone who stated that the Italian fashion house will not only give second life to archival bags, but will also consider possible repairs and launch an internal app aimed at training staff on sustainability issues. In fact, each month the brand will publish a series of archival models directly from its inventory. In addition, the bags will be on sale at the original price the product had when the original collection was launched.

Resale direct to consumer, as in the case of Bottega Veneta, offers customers security in terms of authentication, trust, and quality. Sellers benefit by solving supply chain issues related to new products and attracting a younger, more waste-conscious and value-oriented customer base.

This is proven by the 317 million views of #archivefashion on Tik Tok and the boom that educational content has experienced on social media (WGSN, 2021).

With increasing pressures around environmental responsibility, supply chain difficulties, and consumer transparency demands, the “archive revival” is about to explode.

Photo taken by Irene Kredenets on Unsplash