Dive Brief:
- Bergdorf Goodman has launched “Conscious Closet,” a five-part program geared to extend, reuse and repurpose the life of its customer’s luxury items, according to a press release.
- Starting with a closet consultation and assessment by a personal shopper, the program offers Bergdorf customers the opportunity to have their luxe garments edited, repaired, altered, resold through recommerce platform Fashionphile or donated to local charities.
- The program complements Bergdorf’s established Conscious Curation offerings of ethical and sustainable products from such brands as Gabriela Hearst, Studio 189 and Irene Forte.
Dive Insight:
Conscious Closet will utilize in-house and outside partnerships to create a circular program that Bergdorf executives believe will make better use of its customers’ used clothing.
"We're thrilled to be launching Conscious Closet, an integrated set of service offerings that combine our efforts in circularity with our legendary client experience," said Melissa Xides, chief retail officer, Bergdorf Goodman, in a statement. "The program has been designed to extend the use of the beloved items in our customers' closets and we're certain this first-of-its-kind program will be a welcome addition to the services we provide our customers."
As part of the Neiman Marcus Group, Bergdorf’s will leverage NMG’s established partnership with Fashionphile. Through its personal shoppers, Bergdorf will offer customers the ability to resell items at Fashionphile’s New York flagship in exchange for Bergdorf gift cards. It’s a somewhat similar practice that Fashionphile has been using for a number of years with Neiman Marcus. NMG acquired a minority stake in Fashionphile in 2019.
“Our team will be supporting the Bergdorf team, using technology we built to make the process seamless,” said Sarah Davis, founder and president of Fashionphile. “That said, gauging needs based on projections is always a challenge. We will know more as we get settled into the partnership. What we are doing in Bergdorf Goodman is unique.”
NMG has been active in promoting circularity since the company emerged from bankruptcy protection in September 2020. Although Conscious Closet is new to Bergdorf Goodman and its customers, this is not the first time NMG has waded into circular fashion waters. It recently joined a consortium called Guidehouse that was established to help companies’ suppliers track, reduce and report their climate emissions.
And last spring, as part of its Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) strategy, NMG said one of its 2025 goals is to extend the useful life of 1 million luxury items through circular services. Bergdorf’s is counting on Conscious Closet to contribute towards that ambitious goal.