Not only are you helping the planet by choosing not to contribute to mass production, but you are also saving money in the process. What’s not to love?
Founded in 2017, Elmwood's is a growing saleroom in the heart of West London's Notting Hill, specialising in Jewellery, Watches and, most recently, Luxury Fashion. Today, we sit down with Violante Massimo, Designer Handbag & Fashion Specialist at Elmwood's, ahead of their exciting 'Luxury Gift Sale' on Tuesday 13th December, which will feature an exceptional selection of both contemporary and vintage handbags.
Violante talks to us about curating luxury fashion sales, the benefits of buying second-hand fashion, and the market for investing in vintage designer. Stay tuned for her recommendations and highlights from the Luxury Gift Sale, including a 1985 Hermès Birkin and several pieces from Chanel.
Barnebys: The department for Designer Handbags & Fashion is a recent addition to Elmwood’s. What made you decide it was time to launch auctions in this space as well?
Violante Massimo: Expanding into Designer Handbags and Fashion felt like a natural progression for Elmwood’s. We aim to be an auction house that encapsulates luxury in all of its forms, and the addition of this department fits perfectly into that vision. The resale of luxury handbags and fashion is a growing market that is both exciting and culturally relevant, with sustainable fashion becoming increasingly popular. By not charging the seller at all to publicise beautiful pieces to a global audience, we are putting our own stamp on the rehoming of fine preloved pieces.
What’s your approach to curating a sale of Luxury fashion?
From the very first day that I started my role here at Elmwood’s, I had a clear vision of how I wanted to conduct and curate my auctions. Above all: quality over quantity. As a luxury auction house, Elmwood’s have always focused on selecting only the finest pieces of jewellery, so it was essential that I also extended this ethos into my own department. In essence, I try only to take pieces that I would be happy to bid on myself. This allows me to curate a more streamlined sale, with special attention to detail in regard to both condition and desirability.
The resale market for handbags and luxury goods is ever-growing. Why do you think more and more people are choosing to buy fashion second-hand?
The popularity of preloved luxury is growing as people become more conscious of the effects that over-consumption has on our planet. This goes hand in hand with the basic fact that buyers want to save money and avoid retail pricing for the items on their wish lists. The combination of these two factors has resulted in an explosion in luxury designer resale. Not only are you helping the planet by choosing not to contribute to mass production, but you are also saving money in the process. What’s not to love?
Can handbags also be considered an investment? What pieces are particularly suited to this?
Absolutely! According to Forbes Magazine, handbags “now outperform art, classic cars and rare whiskies in terms of investment potential”. A known example of this is the Chanel Classic Double Flap handbag. This iconic bag, which comes in various sizes, has been in constant production since its launch in the 1980s. As a result of its longevity, the medium size of the handbag has been subject to multiple price increases a year, thus maintaining its value decade after decade.
If you are looking for this particular handbag, we actually have a beautiful vintage version of the Chanel medium Classic Double Flap bag in our auction on the 13th of December, alongside lots of other Chanel pieces.
The more exclusive a bag, the more it keeps its value; this is demonstrated by the legendary Kelly and Birkin bags by Hermès. Their scarcity and potential as status symbols contribute to the reason why the handbags are widely seen as ‘investment’ pieces and long-term assets. We recently consigned a black vintage Birkin 40 from 1985, the year after Birkins were first produced, as well as a Kelly 32 in crocodile. Both of these pieces can be found in our upcoming 'Luxury Gift' sale.
And what are some vintage evergreen classics that are always sought after?
Vintage Chanel is having a major resurgence at the moment, and the 24ct gold-plated hardware bags produced back in the 80s and 90s will always be hot property. An example of this is the maxi CC flap, which is essentially a supersized version of the famous Classic Double Flap. Its oversized features, giant CC logo, and puffy quilting really spark the excitement in a Chanel collector. 24ct gold-plated vintage Chanel jewellery is equally as popular, with resale prices soaring to new heights in recent years.
Brands like Gucci also have their own vintage classics to offer, such as their Jackie and 1955 Horsebit bags, which will forever be in style.
Finally, a personal question: what’s your dream bag?
I am very lucky to already own my two dream handbags: the Dior small Lady Dior in black lambskin and the Chanel medium black caviar Classic Double Flap. If I were to choose a third dream bag that I do not yet have my hands on, it would most certainly be a Kelly 25 Retourne in a vibrant green hue.
