Text by Koura-Rosy Kane
The second-hand market can certainly be a relevant answer to sustainable issues in the fashion industry. However it is still quite fragmented as noticed by Sabrina Sadiq, entrepreneur and founder of Luxury Promise. As a result, she launched in 2017 this platform offering a selection of curated preloved luxury bags to consumers that do not necessarily have an easy access to these brands. “We are increasingly catering to underserved markets across the Middle East & Asia where primary brands lack a presence” explains Sabrina. She truly believes in the power of circulatory fashion and its importance in tackling over consumption’s damage to the environment. Hence ”Luxury Promise is the brainchild of my commitment to serve the underserved markets that are often ignored in the Luxury space” Sabrina says. In 2025, the secondhand market is expected to grow as fast as 15 to 20 percent per year which constitutes a real opportunity for initiative such as Luxury Promise.
But most of all, Sabrina based her project on her own experience with preloved luxury bags. After purchasing a Kelly by Hermès and selling it for double the price, she realised those items are valuable investments. It led her to dig into the topic of authentication that is for her a crucial step in the act of selling luxury handbags. She even set up “a school of authentication, teaching many people on how to spot a fake.”
Today with Luxury Promise, Sabrina is the first and only to propose a resale platform in the UK and EU. Along with her team of passionate and skilled sellers, she is proposing various services additionally to the curation of preloved luxury bags.
Flanelle Magazine has the chance to speak to Sabrina about Luxury Promise and its relevance in the actual context.
Flanelle : How did you come up with the idea of Luxury Promise?
Sabrina : Luxury Promise is the brainchild of my commitment to serve the underserved markets that are often ignored in the Luxury space. A lawyer by education, my interest developed in the world of luxury handbags after a chance encounter where I sold my personal bag for 2x just 48 hours after purchasing it! As I went on to explore the demand for preloved luxury goods, I discovered the extent of the counterfeit market and went on to develop and educate other resale platforms on authentication measures for over a decade. While working in this space, I noted how most luxury brands did not establish a presence in developing markets and cater to women who would have to travel to shop and sell their luxury handbags. Luxury Promise was born out of a strong desire to serve these customers and create an inclusive and accessible space to shop luxury.
How would you define your core audience?
What I love most about luxury promise is that our audience is truly global – we cater to all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities and hone ourselves as a truly inclusive platform. Most recently, having established a presence in the Middle East with our Dubai Operations, we are increasingly catering to underserved markets across the Middle East & Asia where primary brands lack a presence. Our customers range from first time luxury shoppers who are determined to test the brands at an affordable rate before exploring them at primary prices to avid collectors of Hermes handbags who come to us because of our incredible stock capability – as the largest stockist of preloved Hermes goods in the UK & EU.
Your business is based on luxury bags. You personally have an interest in these valuable pieces. How did you first get introduced to luxury bags? What is your first memory related to luxury items?
My inspiration to create Luxury Promise came from buying my first pre-loved handbag which was a vintage Hermes Kelly and then going on to selling it for double the price. Here I learnt that a luxury handbag can really be an investment. It led me to explore the world of authentication. I then went on to set up a school of authentication, teaching many people on how to spot a fake. Whilst studying authentication I learnt that the secondary pre-loved market was still very fragmented and that resale platforms were not inclusive. So many markets were still untapped and with a shift to consumers’ mindset to sustainability someone had to bring a new fresh and diverse approach to second-hand goods. Luxury Promise was created to solve a problem in the market which was to connect fragmented markets as well as bring back the luxury in second-hand shopping.
Personally, what is your favourite luxury bag? Why?
My personal favourite luxury bag has to be the Hermes Kelly. It’s the first luxury bag that I purchased preloved and the reason why I got into this space. It is a great investment purchase and the Hermes craftsmanship is unbeatable. I would consider it to be an heirloom piece – a bag in my collection that I will always cherish with great fondness.
Your website is offering live shopping experiences. Could you explain the concept of these lives and how they are relevant based on your target’s needs/demands?
Luxury Promise is the first and only resale platform in the UK & EU to offer a sales experience through a unique integrated live shopping platform. Our live shopping integration allows us to interact with our global community in real time & showcase our product range via the live shopping functionality. Each live show is hosted by our expert authenticators. The show host understands the provenance of each product and shares the story with their audience, providing customers edu-tainment on the history of the brands as well as in depth condition reports of the products, allowing customers to make informed purchasing decisions or alternatively, providing valuable insights to make their next big purchase whether it is with us or directly with the brands themselves.
For every purchase on your website a tree is planted as you are a member of the climate positive collective, Ecologi. Why is it important for you to include sustainability to your practice?
As a luxury resale platform, we are extending the life cycle of luxury products by giving them a second chance, a second home to be worn & enjoyed. Sustainability is not only a brand effort but a big part of our brand identity. It goes beyond just a mere transaction as we also offer our customers a 1 – year warranty in case they wish to send in any products for repairs via our in-house repairs service. Our audience of luxury preloved consumers also understands this aspect of our brand identity wherein more than 65% of our audience choose to plant a tree with every purchase, truly honing our efforts to offset our carbon footprint.
On your website, you’re offering 3 ways for people to collaborate. They can swap, sell to the community or to Luxury Promise directly. Among the three options, which one is the most popular?
Luxury Promise is one of the select few luxury resale platforms that offers an instant buyout for selling products. The reason we offer this is to allow our community the optionality of making a quick return on their investments & empower them to do so with true ease of sale. Offering customers accessibility to sell is part of our core ethos & we do so by providing them options to exchange, consign or sell. The most popular option has definitely been the instant sell out, truly empowering our customers to sell to us knowing that they will be able to generate value from their sales instantly.