What goes with denim? Vintage Saint Laurent or Celine by way of Phoebe Philo. For a limited time, you can now purchase Madewell jeans at the same time as the vintage Celine blouse. Building on its commitment to circularity, Madewell has partnered with luxury resale platform Reluxe Fashion to develop a capsule collection of coveted and hard-to-find products available for purchase in-store and online.
For Reluxe Fashion founder and stylist Claire Richardson, this partnership is testament to the brand’s decision to abandon trends in favor of a more sustainable approach to fashion. “We have a saying: ‘No season is an old season.’ So if a piece is good, whether it was five years ago or 10 years ago, it will last and add to your wardrobe. There should be some left.”
The 550-piece collection, developed in stages, is therefore not tied together by a catchy theme, but rather by the everyday needs of modern women. These include suede jackets with tassels and pleated skirts that can be easily layered over chunky sweaters. It goes well with low-heeled flat boots as well as over-the-knee boots, and pairs well with lots of great belts. “What we’re trying to do is help women curate their favorite vintage items and make it easy for them to shop,” says Richardson. “So they don’t spend hours searching around and seeing something that’s dirty or doesn’t fit.” The first drop includes 30 pieces, including both apparel and accessories; Dropped continuously for one year.
One of Richardson’s favorite things is the items she has sourced over the years. “I have a pair of high-waisted woven jeans from Chloe, which I actually owned but stupidly sold. That’s one of my biggest regrets: I couldn’t find them anywhere. And the first drops are in the campaign. We have them.”
As any vintage enthusiast knows, buying second-hand usually has size limitations. “At the Reluxe Fashion office, we often discuss the different sizes of our teams, as that can be a big hurdle,” says Richardson. For the collection, she and her team were careful to make sure the options available included a variety of body types. She also enlisted trendsetters and close friends Paloma Elsesser and Dree Hemingway to contribute items from their personal wardrobes.
This month, Madewell will host local trunk shows across the U.S. where customers can shop collaborative products and schedule one-on-one styling appointments with Richardson. “I’m really happy to be able to do that because it’s my natural habitat,” she says. At a time when retail feels increasingly isolated, Richardson believes personal time can help customers fall back in love with not just the products they love, but how they look in them. I hope that. “What you want is someone who is confident. You want them to be comfortable in their clothes, too. For me, it’s hard to look stiff and uncomfortable, or it hurts to wear clothes.” There is nothing worse than someone who is
Shop the Madewell x Reluxe fashion collaboration below (all shipped to the UK) and visit Madewell.com for more information.
Madewell x Relux fashion is available for purchase below
