Meet BOPF: the newest arrival in the UAE’s pre-loved luxury fashion market

The recently launched platform hopes to reduce fashion's environmental impact, one handbag at a time

Knife black sock boots, Dh1,710, by Balenciaga at BOPF. Courtesy BOPF

Business of Preloved Fashion (BOPF) is a new online platform in the UAE that allows customers to buy and sell pre-loved, high-end fashion.

Filled with designs by the biggest names in the industry, it offers bags, shoes, accessories and even clothes across its site, all coming from one loving owner, in search of a second.

The brainchild of Hadiza Aboubacar, the site caters to a clued-up fashion crowd that not only appreciates quality, but is prepared to invest in pieces designed to last for years, eschewing disposable, fast fashion.

Aboubacar drew on her own experience of business management and six years working in luxury resale when devising the platform.

"I wanted to launch a business that offers value while making an impact," she tells The National. "The fashion industry has been known to significantly impact the environment due to its seasonal nature; it is said to be one of the biggest polluters in the world.

"With BOPF, I want to empower buyers and sellers to extend the lifecycle of luxury goods as it supports long-term sustainable goals.”

While the statistics of pollution stemming from the fashion industry make for grim reading, it is now becoming clear that these figures can be drastically reduced simply by using things for longer.

Case in point: wearing an item of clothing for just nine months before discarding it can reduce its carbon footprint by up to 30 per cent, while McKinsey reports that by buying pre-loved over new, the carbon emissions per item can be reduced by a staggering 90 per cent. In short, resale is as good for the planet as it is for the wallet.

As for Aboubacar, with increasing numbers snapping up resold luxury purchases for a fraction of the original price, it is a booming market. Getting involved, she explains, was simply good business.

“[The] future prospects for the resale industry are really promising; it poses a lot of opportunity for the future," she says. "The luxury resale market is estimated to be growing four times faster, at 12 per cent per year, than the primary luxury market [which is growing at] 3 per cent per year. And currently, the luxury resale market already represents $24 billion.”

BOPF's site features clear photographs of items, along with key information. It also shows the original retail price wherever possible. For example, a classic black shoulder bag by Celine in black python is offered on BOPF for Dh10,600, but was originally priced in the region of Dh21,700. A soft pink Elsie shoulder bag from Chloe, meanwhile, that was originally Dh6,235, is now just Dh1,700.

The site even caters to serious aficionados with a good range of Hermes, including a 30 Gold Birkin Epsom leather bag with gold hardware for Dh49,100. If these prices are a little rich for some pockets, do not despair. An embossed leather business card holder from Louis Vuitton can be picked up for Dh350.

With these kind of prices, however, customers need to know they are buying the real deal.

“We authenticate in-house, through trusted outsourced third parties and through a tool called Entrupy – an authentication tool providing 99.1 per cent accuracy," says Aboubacar.

Using AI to compare an item against a database of millions of images, Entrupy is the industry leader for authentication, meaning that customers can be reassured they are getting precisely what they pay for. “We do not list an item if we have even an ounce of doubt on its authenticity,” adds Aboubacar.

Business of Preloved Fashion also allows customers to sell pieces they have fallen out of love with. After uploading detailed photographs and details to the site, customers can then sit back and let BOPF do rest of the work. In exchange, BOPF charges commission from 15 per cent.

Offering a multi-use platform, Aboubacar is hoping to reach those for whom trading goods online is almost second nature.

"Our target audience is generally Millennials and Gen Z. Born in the digital era, they are seen to be more health-conscious, socially aware and environmentally responsible. They are ready to put their money where their values lie and their focus is on the importance of recirculating goods, as it is positive for the environment," she says.

"For us at BOPF, luxury resale is a lifestyle [and] like our tag line says, 'We are for the connoisseurs of mindful fashion'.”