Monday, March 2, 2015

C'est Magnifique Revente

Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter Ready to Wear 2015/2016 (yes we did say Autumn/Winter) is about to begin and it is without doubt that Paris Fashion Week has international intrigue. 
Some may be fortunate enough to be present at such a stunning runway show and are no doubt bubbling with excitement about what they will see on the runway. Designers such as Balenciaga, Chloe, Christian Dior, John Galliano, Louis Vuitton, Valentino to name but a few who will be showcasing their new masterpieces. What can we expect? How soon will these runway designs be watered downed with a "high street' version that will hit the stores? And let's be honest, a more affordable version. We shall, as we are sure you will, wait with baited breath to find out. 


The good news is that the wealthy and famous who attend these runway shows fill their enormous, but bulging, closets with the upcoming season's fashions and have no further use for those coveted items from seasons past. So what do some of the wealthy and famous do? They consign their items with us. That's great news not just for consignista.com, but also for you! No need to scratch your head as to why, because not only are these designer items affordable when consigned, but they have either never been worn because they haven't gotten around to it, or have been worn once or twice at a push. And the items we have on sale are not just limited to women's fashions either. Oh no! Fabulous children's items come flooding in, also with a sprinkle of men's designs. And while as the saying goes, the rich may get richer, some of our consignors, donate some or all of their percentage of their items' sale to a charity or cause of their choice. That means you are helping them give back when you buy those stunning items that were once in their closet.

Don't believe us? OK, so let's give you some examples of some of the items we have listed on our site, to put the proof in the pudding so to speak; How about an Oscar de la Renta sleeveless sweater NWT that was sent to a client directly from the runway? Oh, perhaps an array of black & purple label Ralph Lauren t-shirts and spring time sweaters that are in as new condition or NWT? Or an Yves Saint Laurent black tank, Prada shoes and handbags. The list goes on. The good news is that more items are being listed with us on a regular basis and inventory continues to grow. And as we say, the items we have just mentioned have 50% of the proceeds going to a charity or cause of the consignors' choice. It's a win, win for all. The consignor makes space in their closet for their newly purchased items, you get a great deal on a runway look and you both get to give back when an item sells. We think it's pretty neat.
So, make sure you keep on coming back to visit consignista.com to check out the goodies we are continually listing.
For now au revoir. Vous voir le mois prochain.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Charity begins at home. What do you think?

Yes, another random subject for the consignment business, but we always love being "out there" with our monthly blog!

So most of us have heard of the saying "charity begins at home", right? Some may think this is a selfish attitude to take as if we all felt that way, charities and good causes would struggle to exist. Some may think the opposite and that giving back is good for the soul and makes people feel good. At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, why are we talking about this subject. Here's why. Along with our "new look" site launch, we also launched a "Consign & Shop for a Cause" category that gives you the opportunity to consign your no longer worn designer and high quality brand items that are hiding in your closet at home and when an item sells, you can elect to donate a percentage from that sale to go to the charity of your choice. It also means that when you shop certain items on the site, a percentage of the sale goes to an elected charity. So do you want to feed your soul and feel good? Well read on and let us tell you how it all works. 

Let's start with "Consign for a Cause" - all you need to do at the time of consigning with us, whether you are completing our  Upload Form, Inventory List, or requesting a Premium Concierge Collection, is fill out on the relevant form that you wish to donate as much or as little of a percentage of your share of a sale of your consigned items to a charity of your choice and we take care of the rest. Then, at the end of the month you will receive a statement of your earnings from items sold and a check made out to the charity you elected. We are always totally transparent with the charity chosen and the percentage amount being donated that is in "other details" against each product when a donation has been made. To us, it makes perfect sense, you have items in your closet you no longer use and now you have control over where those earnings are paid to. There is of course no obligation to make a donation - it's totally your call - we just thought you might like the option.


An example of the charities where consignment donations are being made is Fido Fixers Inc. a newly organized not-for-profit corporation that provides either no cost or low cost spay and neuter services for dogs and cats in economically distressed areas. Currently, Fido Fixers has two spay and neuter clinics. To date over 2,500 surgeries have been performed. At this time, there is a wait-list of 18 qualified animal welfare groups who would like to use Fido Fixers and make a similar impact in their various communities. Needless to say, they need more mobile clinics to meet the demand - and the good news is that consignista.com has had consignors generously donate to this cause. 

Another deserving charity we are making a donation to, is Dana's Angels Research Trust (DART) a 501(c)(3) organization set up by a family who have sadly suffered at the hands of Niemann-Pick Type C disease (NPC); losing one daughter to this disease in 2013 and having their son, who at the time was aged 5, also being diagnosed with NPC.  

For those of you who are unaware of what this disease is, NPC is a genetic metabolic disorder in which harmful quantities of cholesterol and other fatty substances accumulate in the cells of the body such as the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow and, most dramatically, the brain. 

Neurologically, NPC is characterized by an inability to metabolize cholesterol in the nerve cells of the brain where it accumulates and causes the premature “death” of these cells. This brain involvement can be extensive, leading to the inability to look up and down, difficulty in walking and swallowing, as well as progressive loss of vision and hearing. 

Currently, the life expectancies of patients with NPC are quite variable. Children often die at a very early age or in their early teens while some adult patients appear to be less drastically affected. 

So as you can see from just these two charities alone, your closet of no longer worn items, can really do good - why not make a start consigning them with us today by either using our Upload Form or our Concierge Services and chose your charity of choice. And if you still need an little extra incentive, think about the environmentally friendly aspect of consignment - recycling. 

We have other exciting developments coming up for "Consign & Shop for Cause" that we will soon be able to share, but for now, help us to help others with this newly launched category.

Turning to the "Shop for a Cause" - well simply put, where you see charity information in "other details" of a product you will know what when you purchase that item a percentage is going to that particular charity. It doesn't matter where within the site you are, you can be in our Shop for a Cause category or anywhere else - the information will be there. 

So we guess to sum up, charity does begin at home - it's just hanging in your closet! 

See you next month!