The Handbag Clinic's founder on making luxury handbags last a lifetime, working with Claudia Schiffer, and why you should never buy faux

"You’ll never see brands such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel mark down their products and Hermès limit their sales to a very exclusive clientele so buying pre-owned, especially for vintage and cult bags, is the canny and sustainable loophole," the CEO and Co-Founder toldCharlotte purchased her first named-brand handbag when she was a teenager. She kept it in immaculate condition, sold it, and made a profit, which she then used to purchase her next designer bag.

Massively. When we first started The Handbag Clinic, there was a huge stigma associated with shopping pre-owned. People would always question why I would thrift old bags rather than buy new, whereas now everyone is so invested in sustainable fashion and can see the value in these items.Since 2020, I've seen a major growth in the sustainable fashion movement and a major increase in the number of people who are comfortable shopping pre-owned.

When Gucci Marmont bags first came out, I bought one for £625. I used it for a year and then sold it once they became popular, and I had made a significant profit. I view my handbags like an asset, and I tend to use a 'handbag pot' and very rarely will I go outside of that to try and acquire new bags.

I'll ask myself 'have I got this handbag out of my wardrobe in the last six months?' I went from DKNY, to Mulberry, to Prada, to Gucci, and eventually I got my first Chanel, before finally getting an Hermès.A handbag clean is for hygiene purposes. A clean will not visually make your bag look better unless you've spilt something on it and brought it in quickly enough to reverse the damage.

The items were bright pink, patent leather vanity cases from the 1995 Chanel Spring runway "Barbie" collection, as seen on Claudia and other iconic supermodels.I have no problem with fast fashion brands creating dupes of high end items. At the end of the day, the catwalk leads the high street. That is fashion, and it's how it should be.. We see so many faux designer bags come through our doors, and it is my mission to end the fake designer market.

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