What inspired you to rejoin them in 2023, as the North American CEO, and can you elaborate on some initiatives to keep the company’s competitive edge in today’s market? Samina Virk: When I left Vestiaire Collective in 2017, I stayed in touch with the co-founders and continued to root for the company from afar – watching it grow, earn its B Corp certification and then decide to kick off the next phase of growth in the US with the acquisition of Tradesy. When the opportunity came to re-join, I was excited to continue what I had started and expand the US community. We are focused on brand growth initiatives to introduce our brand to a broader audience of fashion-lovers. We’ve launched a mix of digital branding campaigns, partnerships and collaborations with influencers and celebrities. What’s made my return even more meaningful is our deepened commitment to sustainability and circular fashion. We’re constantly looking for new, creative ways to engage and educate our community, encouraging them to choose pre-loved as a way to reduce their environmental impact. IR: Speaking of staying relevant, we’ve seen Vestiaire Collective tap into some cool pop-culture moments, with last year’s cameo in the hit Netflix series Emily in Paris and this year’s collaboration with Y2K fashion icon Paris Hilton. As a former executive for both Vestiare Collective and luxury personal shopping platform Threads Styling, what do you think are the essentials for creating a marketing campaign that resonates with younger, harder-to-capture consumer groups like Gen Z? SV: When it comes to engaging younger audiences, it’s about showing how your brand fits into their world. They’re incredibly savvy and value-driven, discovering new brands and trends on social media, and they expect brands to reflect the culture they’re living in right now. Our goal is to bring the brand to life through storytelling – bringing together style, cultural relevance, values and authenticity. This approach doesn’t just apply to Gen Z; it’s how we connect with our community as a whole. Our cameo in Season 4 of Emily in Paris is a great example. The costume designer was already sourcing pieces from Vestiaire Collective, so the collaboration came about naturally. The storyline, where Mindy sells something from an ex-boyfriend, was such a relatable, human moment and it illustrated how our platform works in real life. IR: You’ve spent most of your career working in digital-first retail businesses at a time when e-commerce was first taking off. Recently, it seems like there’s been a shift back to brick-and-mortar stores. How do you see the conversation around the digital experience and the personalized in-person experience developing in the future? SV: As a digital-first business, we’re committed to continuously enhancing our digital shopping experience. By leveraging AI, personalization and data, we can tailor recommendations in ways that feel personal and provide an exciting discovery process for our customers. It also enables us to have a more extensive selection to browse, discover and shop from. There’s so much potential in technology and what it can do for our digital experience, and we’re eager to explore it further. At the same time, we know that customers still appreciate in-person experiences as a way to enhance that experience. Many brands and retailers are experimenting with how to bridge the two worlds and find the right mix to deliver the best customer experience. For Vestiaire Collective, this has included hosting regular pop-ups and brand tentpole moments, where we bring our community together for shopping, authentication demos and panels at exclusive locations. It’s our way of complementing the digital shopping experience with a physical one. IR: Nowadays, it seems like there’s much more of a focus on profitability in digital retail. Having worked with your fair share of retail newcomers, what do you think separates the successful start-ups that are here for the long haul, versus those that are just a flash in the pan? SV: Every start-up begins with a spark of innovation; the ones that last are the ones that can turn that spark into real, lasting value. There are so many factors of success, including the importance of staying agile, being ready to pivot when needed and continuously innovating to meet evolving customer needs and changing market conditions. IR: Lastly, what are some lessons that you think more retailers should take from the luxury sector about creating the optimal experience for today’s shopper? SV: A personalized customer experience. For Vestiaire Collective, our personalization comes through our platform. We use data and AI to tailor recommendations so each shopper feels like the experience is made just for them. Storytelling is also central, and as a luxury fashion marketplace with millions of items spanning the decades, every piece has a history and story. We highlight these stories through our marketing channels, connecting our customers to a moment in fashion history. This story first appeared in the September 2025 issue of Inside Retail US magazine.