The fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar once called her a “Digital IT Girl”, but Stéphanie Crespin is much more than that. Crespin is part of a revolution in the luxury industry.
Her start-up allows customers of luxury brands to sell their purchased items on second-hand portals in a secure and certified way, and receive shopping credit in return. With this credit, the customers can then go shopping again at their favourite brand. The whole process is secured via the blockchain.
“Sustainability is the biggest challenge of our industry,” says Stéphanie Crespin. With her start-up, she wants to break the cycle of “buy – wear – dispose” and bring the luxury sector into the circular fashion economy as well. In this way, brands and retailers in the luxury sector can secure their share of the buoyant second-hand market. Backing for her idea from investors like Balenciaga CEO Cedric Charbit and Swarovski creative director Giovanna Battaglia helped Crespin raise 2.7 million US dollars in the last financing round.
Stéphanie Crespin talks about the advantages of her sustainable business model in a video and will elaborate further at the 71st International Retail Summit:
Moving Closer: Retail in Vulnerable Times
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