The Rise of the Fashion Expert in Luxury Resale

The New Vintage

The demand for vintage pieces, defined as items over 15 years old, has seen a dramatic surge of 432% on The RealReal (TRR) from 2020 to 2026, according to a recent report.

A notable shift this year is the growing interest in early 2000s fashion, moving away from the 1990s. While searches for '90s items increased by 63% year-on-year, early 2000s pieces saw a 93% rise. Concurrently, searches for designers prominent in the 2000s are skyrocketing: "Phoebe Philo Celine" is up 650%, "Nicolas Ghesquière Balenciaga" by 400%, and "Marc Jacobs Louis Vuitton" by 375%.

This renewed fascination with early 2000s fashion signifies a new chapter for the resale market. It means that items from brands established around 1996, like Acne Studios, are now achieving vintage status, making them more sought-after than ever before. "We're seeing these transitional pieces emerge, such as early 2000s Acne and Rodarte," notes Naiman. This trend is likely to lead to increased prices in the coming years.

Emerging Brands

Emerging brands are experiencing rapid growth on TRR, with demand significantly outpacing supply in 2026. For the Japanese label Ssstein, demand is growing 36 times faster than supply, with a 361% year-on-year increase in demand compared to a mere 10% in supply. Colleen Allen is also seeing substantial growth, with demand increasing 1.73 times faster than supply; demand is up 289% while supply has risen by 166%.

New York-based labels Rùadh, Heirlome, and Zankov all demonstrate high "obsession-to-supply" ratios, TRR's metric for engagement. Zankov boasts an impressive 175 obsessions per item, with a total of 11,226 obsessions for just 64 available items, a 79% year-on-year increase in these items.

“People are gaining extensive knowledge about smaller, intriguing brands early in their careers through platforms like Substack, TikTok, and other channels outside of traditional fashion media,” Naiman explains. She adds that the inclusion of these brands in the resale market, even if their representation is currently less than their demand, is a positive development.