It’s said that fashion takes inspiration from the past. Today’s runway shows are often filled with collections that tell a familiar fashion story with designs based on styles from decades ago. This has led fashion collectors to seek out original pieces by designers like Chanel, Dior, Prada, and Hermes from designer resellers like Toronto-based Rewind Couture.
Boutique owner Dawn Librach, who studied business management and entrepreneurship at Ryerson, said she quickly found a market for designer resale pieces, opening her first location in 2014.
Demand grew and within the year was already moving into a larger location. Eight years later she is ready for expansion again as demand for the finest in vintage designer couture continues to grow.
Librach says her store offers a refined boutique experience, allowing customers the personal shopping experience they crave. “We have a highly curated selection of new and preloved designer clothing. We handpick every piece,” she says.
Her collections come from those of ladies with the most discerning taste. She says she has been invited to closets filled with highly sought-after and rare designer pieces. She says brand consciousness is important when choosing the pieces that will go in the store.
She focuses on blending high-end pieces like classic Chanel suits and Hermes scarves with contemporary everyday pieces from Smythe, Alexander McQueen, and Ulla Johnson.
Her vast network of suppliers means that she is also able to gain access to new collections hot off the runways, direct from Europe.
“I always have brand new things from all over the world,” she shares, adding these pieces are available at a fraction of the price customers would pay if bought directly from the boutiques. She adds that many customers also come to her with requests for pieces that are already in-stores, adding that within a few months you can expect them to be on the racks at Rewind Couture.
She has also made a significant effort to bring together pieces that suit every age and fashion taste. She adds every preloved piece has to be in pristine condition before it can be considered for the shop.
Fashion for every age runs deep for Librach who has turned Rewind Couture into a family affair. Her mother and grandmother, now in her 80s, are both regular faces at the store offering style advice and assistance to customers.
My family is super important to me. We act as therapists and best friends to our customers. Many people will just come in for a chat, which lets us get to know our customers on a personal basis,” she says.
As you walk the aisles of the two-story shop, it is easy to see why fashionistas with discriminating taste have made Rewind Couture their go-to choice for high-end fashions. Librach says her collection allows customers to find the perfect gown for a wedding or contemporary piece for a luncheon.
Like many businesses during COVID-19, Rewind Couture has had to pivot to ensure customers still had access to the finest pieces even when the shop was closed. The store website has most of their pieces available online for purchase, something Librach says will be expanded and will be ready to go later this month.
Pieces are also featured on the shop’s Instagram page every day, which Librach says has led to many items being snapped up in a matter of minutes.
When it comes to finding pieces for your wardrobe, Librach says, a pre-loved designer piece is the best way to enhance your collection with fashions that are both classic and will also hold their value.
She believes it is not only a great way to find the most coveted fashion pieces, but also create more sustainable fashion, rejecting fast fashion and reducing the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills.
By focusing on high-end fashion pieces, she says she is creating an opportunity for a new generation to appreciate the collections of some of the world’s finests designers and couturians.
Librach thinks fashion should be seen as timeless and that if you love clothes, you shouldn’t follow trends. She says people should choose pieces based on their taste and not let “fashion” dictate what makes them feel comfortable.
“If you love something and you feel great in it, it’s your fashion,” she says.
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