We’re joining forces with Australian luxury re-seller, Blue Spinach to bring you the opportunity to shop sought-after designer pieces.
Founded in Sydney in 1996, Jane and Mark Thompson saw the value in re-sale designer pieces early. Established as a second-hand consignment store, the retailer has evolved into one of Australia’s most respected luxury re-sellers with their end to end white-glove service and a reputation for impeccable attention to detail. Since the beginning, the Blue Spinach philosophy has always been centred around quality, design and the longevity of luxury fashion with their curation of the very best selection of pre-loved designer pieces. Joining forces with David Jones this season, Blue Spinach brings over 30 luxury accessories items from brands including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Hermès, Celine, Balenciaga, Valentino and Fendi. Not only chic but a more sustainable way of shopping too, Blue Spinach’s designer offering will be regularly refreshed with one-off, hard-to-find and coveted pre-loved pieces available only at David Jones.
To mark Blue Spinach’s arrival, JONES caught up with co-founder Jane Thompson to chat humble beginnings, investment pieces and why great fashion should never go to waste.
“Resale of preowned designer pieces is gaining momentum globally and we are thrilled to introduce luxury items through this model to our customers. Blue Spinach joins our extensive range of international fashion and extends the life of high quality, authentic luxury pieces that are often hard to find. We are dedicated to offering our customers choice in how they shop and the introduction of resale is further expansion of our range of services including personal shopping, rental, tailoring and virtual services”
David Jones General Manager of Fashion, Bridget Veals on David Jones’ partnership with Blue Spinach
Talk us through how Blue Spinach began?
Blue Spinach began in 1996. I met Mark through a family friend and we both had previous experience in fashion and thought that we could combine our talents to start our own business. With very little money, a secondhand consignment option was a great way for us to start as we had little overheads and could grow the business through forming relationships with our clients. We were never sure if we would continue with the reuse model or pivot in another direction however, the response to what we were doing at that time made us realise it was a highly sought after product.
“The romance and the beauty of past seasons appeals to me as it’s like pandora’s box of treasure waiting to be discovered again.”
Jane Thompson on the everlasting appeal of pre-loved designer pieces
What ignited your love of vintage and pre-loved designer pieces?
I have always loved luxury fashion since I was a little girl so there was no doubting that some career in fashion was going to be what I was drawn to. The romance and the beauty of past seasons appeals to me as it’s like pandora’s box of treasure waiting to be discovered again. The longevity of luxury items and the stories behind the pieces keeps you so interested and excited.
Why is supporting a circular fashion model so important?
In the 20 odd years that we have been representing pre-loved fashion, we have certainly seen an increase in the awareness and also a lot of the stigma around “secondhand” fall away. There are two aspects that I see to be important about supporting the circular model – one is more obvious to me which is that luxury items are designed and crafted with longevity in mind so there is a timeless aspect already built into these pieces, and the second which is probably an organic reaction to the proliferation of fast fashion in recent years is the conscious thought about what you are purchasing and what kind of longevity the item might have. Planned obsolescence has a big role to play in this thought process. Renew, recycle, reuse and restoration are really just a key part of our thought processes today.
“If you love it and enjoy it then it is an investment for you!”
Jane Thompson on what makes the ultimate investment piece
Luxury re-sale is an amazing place to secure sought-after designer pieces, in your eyes, what makes the ultimate ‘investment piece’?
Obviously, the potential resale value of an item plays a part in the investment thought process and handbags are always going to be one of the big-ticket items in terms of a luxury fashion investment. The classics from a heritage brand such as Hermès, Chanel or Louis Vuitton will always be a safe investment. Selected luxury timepieces and jewellery items are also valuable choices. For me at the end of the day, if you love it and enjoy it then it is an investment for you!