The Shopping Secrets of a Luxury Fashion Expert
I talked to Erica Wright of Sourcewhere about hunting down Hermès, investing in Wales Bonner and what makes it into her own wardrobe.
Welcome back to Late Filing.
Today’s newsletter is an interview with Erica Wright, the founder of the luxury sourcing platform Sourcewhere. I’ve been following Erica, who lives between London and Berlin, and her company for a while now, and we’d exchanged a few messages on Instagram, but this was our first time getting to properly have a chat. As it turns out, we happen to share an alma mater in Net-a-Porter: she was on the PR team just before I worked there (the first of a few times) on editorial.
To me, what Erica’s doing over at Sourcewhere is really the future of luxury shopping – or at least I’m hopeful that it is. The market for pre-owned has surged in the past few years and only looks to be growing. But from the perspective of a very fussy online shopper, there’s still a level of curation and presentation that I find is lacking. Most second-hand sites are in desperate need of an editor’s eye, and the overall user experience is pretty crappy. (I’m a tad biased but Net-a-Porter really is the bar for shoppability.)
Sourcewhere functions primarily on requests – a sold-out Wales Bonner trainer, a rare Hermès handbag – although there are a select few pieces ready to shop on the site. And as I’d expect from anyone who spent the formative years of their career at NAP, the interface and UX and overall design are incredibly slick. What I especially love is that Sourcewhere is forging a path for a slower, more considered approach to shopping. While the team will toil away to track down that sold-out jacket from that collection that you absolutely must have, certain more obscure requests do take time. And in an era where shoppers are swimming in options, some of them available with same-day shipping, having to work a little harder and wait a little longer to acquire a beautiful piece makes it feel all the more deserving of your love and care.
I’ll admit I also just wanted to be nosy and have a look into Erica’s personal wardrobe. She’s someone with a global network of luxury fashion collectors and sellers at her fingertips and she hunts down gorgeous clothes for a living, so I suspected – rightly – that she’d be packing some heavy hitters in there. Unsurprisingly, she’s also pretty well-versed in fashion history, knows who to go to for the best jeans and T-shirts, and has a top-notch list of boutique recommendations in Paris, Berlin and Antwerp that I’ve already added to my Google Maps.
First of all, I’d love to know how you ended up going from PR to personal shopping, if you could call it that.
Sourcewhere was essentially born out of the frustration of working in PR and being really close to all these sold-out trending products. I had no association with personal shopping, but it just seemed mad that there was no easy digital tool to access things that were sold out, especially if you’re not a VIP. It was built around editor friends, stylists, my bosses at the time being like, I want this sold-out pair of Céline shoes. They don’t have them in the London store. Where am I going to get them? Aside from calling all the different stores in different regions and then trying to track them down on eBay, there was just no centralised place to find them. Personal shopping feeds into it, but we’ve always considered Sourcewhere to be a sourcing platform. It’s open to everyone, and there are no memberships or minimum spends.
I’ve also noticed that along with the option to put in requests, there’s also a second-hand marketplace on the site.
Yes, but we’re not peer-to-peer. It’s a little bit like the 1stDibs model of professionals who are using the platform to sell collectibles – everyone from boutiques to watch dealers to archive collectors, and then personal shoppers who have those offline in-store relationships.
Who is the Sourcewhere client and how do they find out about you?
We’ve been really lucky from the beginning – it’s been very organic and word-of-mouth. Our customers are definitely more millennial: 30 to 45 is the core bracket, although of course we source for Gen Z and an older clientele as well. We’d just been operating in the UK and Europe, but from December last year, we launched in the US and also in the rest of the world, so Asia, Australia. The US is really our top market, followed by the UK and then the Middle East.
What are clients requesting right now?
The Row’s Sally bag is really having a moment. It’s under £1,000 and it’s kind of their entry-level price-point piece that people have really gone mad for. The Row in general is one of our top-performing brands. The Agnes bag. The India bag. The Nuance bag. What’s interesting with the Sourcewhere network is they’re on top of those pieces before they even become a moment. We see a lot of requests for the lesser-trending pieces that are still sold out – the if-you-know-you-know type of products.
There’s also a pair of Chanel suede loafers with shearling inside that are really having a moment. And we’re seeing a lot of requests for a vintage So Kelly bag, which Hermès has just brought back for the season ahead. When brands are tapping into the archives with those past-season vintage pieces, the community really wants to source the original. For example, there’s a 1995 patent Prada bag that Carolyn Bessette Kennedy wore that one of the members of the community put in a request for a couple years ago with that paparazzi image of her wearing it. That resulted in this uptick of requests for the original, even though Prada had reissued it in the new version. The Hermès Lindy bag is another one that people are on top of at the moment. And then, across boots and coats, we see a lot of requests for Khaite and Toteme. Shearling from Toteme is being requested a lot.
With timepieces, Cartier is one of our most requested past-season brands. The Cartier Baignoire has been a big one for us this year – but we get these more nuanced requests like: ‘I want to have the patina quite faded and it would be really lovely if it’s the Cartier Paris style and not the Swiss style.’ Our community are really savvy and very informed, so the details you get in the request comments are really interesting.
What’s been the trickiest request you’ve had?
There was a request that came through when we’d been live for about three months and it was for a two-piece Hermès 1998 Margiela suit. I’m not gonna lie, when that request came in and the app had just launched, we knew it was going to be a task to get it in that size with both the jacket and the trousers together. At that time we had just onboarded an expert who only sources and collects Margiela-era Hermès. It’s niche, but we try to build the network out with these kinds of specialists. Eighteen months later, she found the full set in Paris in excellent condition, matched to the client, who was based in Sweden, and they checked it out in 15 minutes. At the beginning, we considered putting a time limit on these requests, but the thought around Sourcewhere was really that we wanted to encourage this sort of intentional shopping and attract those customers who are going to be really considered with what they purchase. Our motto is: it’s out there somewhere.
Which brands do you notice hold their value? Does The Row?
So from our side, we don’t have a resale model, but definitely when we see some of the experts that are sourcing things pre-owned, especially for those new-season The Row pieces, I would say they always meet retail, and often a little bit over. Otherwise, we follow market rate for vintage pieces, whether it’s a Cartier watch or an Hermès Birkin – plus the seller’s sourcing fee. But The Row has definitely held its value. I think it’s going to be one of those brands that in 10, 20 years’ time, the pieces are going to be collectibles.
Are there any other designers and brands that you see becoming future collectibles? I love Grace Wales Bonner and I’m convinced her Hermès menswear especially is going to become super collectible. That and maybe Jonathan Anderson’s collections from Loewe.
It’s funny: those two brands are definitely the ones that I would say will be coveted in 15, 20 years for sure. It’s going to be that people want the original Grace pieces, and the things she makes for Hermès are probably going to become extremely collectible. I think it’d also be interesting to even see pieces from her Adidas collaboration being much more covetable in the future. Something that we saw a big demand for was the anniversary collection of Loewe, with the different style bags that [Jonathan] did – the Puzzle bags especially. Those were really highly coveted. We had a bunch of requests for the William Morris version of the Puzzle bag. Pieces like that were much higher in price point than when the collection came out, but I can for sure say that in 10, 15 years those will be super covetable.
How has this job shaped your own shopping habits? Anything you’ve been tempted to buy after sourcing it for a client?
The longer the request is there and the longer it takes to source, the more you just become really like-mindedly obsessed with it. I think Hermès Margiela is a good example because obviously those pieces are super scarce and when they do come to market when someone’s willing to part with them, usually there’s a really special story behind it. We did an exclusive drop with one of the partners that collects Hermès Margiela last year and there was a piece in the collection that they had sourced from an auction, and when it arrived it had the original runway sample tag with Margiela’s notes on it. From that, I’m suddenly in a phase for two months of just scanning Hermès Margiela. The stories around the requests really influence what I’m interested in.
What sort of brands and pieces would we find in your wardrobe?
I’ve been a Phoebe Philo Céline fan for a long time, so I’ve definitely sourced a lot of her pieces over the years. But I love to pair past with present, so if there’s a jumper from Céline, I’ll team it with a pair of pants from, say, Rohé. I really love what they’re doing – they have some lovely classic pieces. It might not be the most exciting thing but I love to choose comfort over everything. It’s really lovely to collect and have some of these wonderful pieces but in the end you just want to feel like yourself in them. I really gravitate towards tailoring – say, a really great pair of tailored pants – but then I’ll team it with a top from Baserange or Flore Flore. Where I’d say I invest and experiment a bit more is outerwear. I sourced a long Comme des Garçons coat from the 80s that has wonderful slits through the arms that you can style in different ways but it’s really easy to wear. And then in terms of contemporary designers, I love what Colleen Allen is doing.
Across bags and shoes, I’m a big fan of The Row. I definitely invest in their bags and footwear. But then I also lean into lesser-known, unique pieces that I’ve come across through Sourcewhere, because we have an amazing network of vintage collectors who are posting those pieces that don’t get enough airtime. They’re not the Birkins and Kellys, but they’re these really chic, lesser-known pieces at a more interesting price point. A piece that I found on the app last month was an Hermès clutch called the Faco. It’s just a really basic envelope clutch – it doesn’t have the logo or anything on the outside, but it’s in Box leather, which is my favourite Hermès leather. It just wears really beautifully. It’s from the 70s, but it still looks new.
What are your favourite places to shop in real life? Any recommendations?
I’m definitely more of an online shopper but I love to go into spaces for inspiration and to see their point of view. There’s a store in Berlin called Andreas Murkudis, which is really beautiful. And there’s one called Houben in Antwerp. In London, Dover Street Market is always a favourite just to look around, and I’m really excited for what Harvey Nichols is doing – I think this new phase is going to be really interesting. Then in Paris, Preclothed and Desert Vintage are two I’d say not to miss when you’re there. I really enjoy the experience of going through their vintage selection – it just feels so much more considered and curated.
What about shopping online?
I think 1stDibs is great – not just from an interiors perspective, but they have great fashion pieces. If you’re looking at vintage, like Claude Montana and Anne Marie Beretta from the 80s, there are people on there selling those kinds of pieces. For current season, Net-a-Porter, Moda Operandi, MyTheresa – they all have a great edit. And then just for inspiration, I love the newsletter The Ceiling. They do a really wonderful job of curating the best on the internet.
Have you always been a big vintage shopper? I find it so tricky to trawl through pages of stuff and then know whether it’s going to fit and, you know, not smell.
I wouldn’t say I was a huge vintage shopper. I would go into a thrift shop and just get really overwhelmed. I’d be much more inclined to look at those curated pages on Instagram. Sure, you’re paying a little bit more of a premium but there’s that clarity that’s required. With Sourcewhere, I didn’t just want it to be people sourcing current season because often the best pieces are vintage or pre-owned. I just wanted them to be able to view it in a way that was easier to digest. You’re not looking at 1,000 pages – you’ve got maybe three things in your request list that you’re set on, and then on the Finds page, you’re able to peruse vintage in addition to current season in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming. I’d say that Sourcewhere really represents my personal approach to shopping.
Who would you say does the best jeans?
I really love Agolde. And Jeanerica – they’re great and have a really interesting price point. And then to be honest, vintage. I’ve got a tonne of vintage Levi’s that are just the best fit.
What about T-shirts and tanks?
I love sourcing vintage Fruit of the Loom T-shirts. They’re definitely different to the ones you get on Amazon. Anything from the 80s, 90s – you can get them on eBay and Etsy and they sell out really quickly. I think people know the fit and the materials were just better back then. Otherwise, Flore Flore. I live in their tanks in the summertime. Baserange would be another one. And then, at a much higher price point, there’s one top that I bought from The Row that’s just a classic long-sleeve high-neck jersey and it’s my favourite piece – I wear it every single week and maximise the cost-per-wear. I think they do basics beautifully.
What would you say is your most prized possession?
Probably a patchwork leather coat (above, right) from Phoebe Philo’s last collection at Céline. It was in that phase when it was those first two seasons of Hedi Slimane and all of Phoebe’s stuff was coming through Bicester Village. That’s really special, and I don’t think I could ever part with that piece. I also have a pair of suede City Moc loafers from Saman Amel and they’re just the most comfortable, beautifully made shoes – the kind of shoe that you know you’ll get resoled for the next 20 years.
What about more recent purchases?
I purchased the Agnes bag from The Row last year and I’ve worn that almost every week. That’s a favourite. It’s definitely one that I think is having a bit of a moment right now, but it was a quieter piece last year. The leather’s just really beautiful and it kind of folds like a dumpling. And then from Toteme, I bought a really lovely eveningwear sleeveless cowl-neck top that’s nice for the holiday season. I also got a pair of wide-ribbed cashmere socks from J.Crew that I think are maybe the best cashmere socks ever. I’m very into what J.Crew are doing right now.
Finally, I’d love to know what you’re eyeing up.
There’s a really beautiful long velvet coat in black from Colleen Allen that’s on my list. And also this Toteme shearling muff that’s dotted and would be a nice addition if you’re wearing a classic black coat. We’ve also been sourcing a lot of vintage watches, and that’s been a whole new world for me. There’s so much research that goes into that – the archive references, going through old Sotheby’s and Christie’s catalogues to identify these pieces. I’ve become really interested in the London Baignoire. There was a period when the three Cartier brothers were spread out between Paris, London and New York, and the London brother was a bit more experimental so all of his pieces were a little more quirky. They have ‘London’ inscribed on them, and the Baignoire itself from this era in the 60s is just a bit more fun. They reach incredible prices at auctions. It’s a forever, beautiful timepiece that would be a dream.
Erica’s shopping picks
Left to right: Cordera Tailoring Long Skirt, €369; Charvet Cord Belt, £280; Chanel Clutch, £806; The Row Temur Coat, £POA; Le Sundial Deco Silver Onyx Ring, £495; The Row Marlo 14 Bag, £4,290; Jeanerica Belem Jeans, £200
Further Reading
This Indie Sourcing App is the Future of Luxury Shopping in Vogue
Saw It? Loved It? Get It Anywhere in the World in the New York Times
Exploring the World of Margiela, the Hermès Years in AnOther