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Do not call it retro, 'archival' is the hottest new thing in fashion

Long synonymous with thrift, consignment clothing is an $18 billion business, with about $2.3 billion spent on specialised secondhand apparel websites

Courtesy: Kenzo/Bloomberg
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Courtesy: Kenzo/Bloomberg

Antonina Jedrzejczak | Bloomberg
It could be any boutique on Fifth Avenue. Italian tourists in fur coats browse a selection of Chanel Classic 2.55 purses that flank a Gucci Dionysus, last year’s holy grail of handbags. Nearby, women with bouncy blowouts pore over Cartier Trinity rings and Kwiat diamond studs. For all the excitement, you’d never guess this stuff was all preowned.
 
In the RealReal store on Wooster Street in New York’s SoHo neighbourhood, you might find a $600 Balenciaga City bag, $800 Hermès Collier de Chien bracelets, even a $1,500 Fendi Baguette — the pint-size floppy rectangle that rocketed to “it” bag