The Start Up Team Is Like Blood, Sweat and Tears, and It's Not Craggy

Luxury fashion resale site Dora Maar launched in 2019. It was good timing, considering how resale has taken off since the start of the pandemic.

“In 2020, we found our footing. And in 2021, we really blew it out,” said Lauren Wilson, founder and CEO of Dora Maar, on the latest Glossy Podcast. “Year over year, we grew 570%.” 

Dora Maar’s differentiator among resale companies is that it spotlights its sellers on its site and marketing channels, labeling them as “Muses” and treating them as influencers. It also attributes each product it sells to one of their closets.  

Wilson pointed to her previous job experience as the inspiration for the business model.

“While working at Moda [Operandi] and, prior to that, at Christie's, we were always digging behind the story of the designer or the women who wore it or the people who owned it,” she said. “And I thought, ‘Why doesn't this exist in secondhand?’”

“This is a new way of retail,” she added.

Moving forward, along with bringing more Muses and also brand partners into the fold, Wilson plans to elevate Dora Maar’s automation and personalization capabilities. She’ll also continue to expand its product offerings to new categories – Dora Maar's already introduced home and beauty categories since its launch. 

“2022 is really about scaling up, Wilson said.