WHY COOPD?
When I founded coopd, my goal was to create a community where people could sell their pre-loved pieces with confidence and shop with purpose. I wanted to take the mystery out of the trending “circular wardrobe” and help everyone understand the value of their designer pieces.
Over the course of my career, I would meet people who had a closet full of clothes with the tags still on. Items they purchased on a whim, but never got around to wearing. And yet, they were reluctant to let them go. In order to achieve my goal, I had to start by helping people understand the lifespan of every piece they owned, along with the approximate worth at each stage.
Some handbags go up, but most clothes lose 80% of their value the moment you leave the store. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule and loopholes that can be found. What’s important is that once clients have the knowledge, they’re able to decide what matters to them and edit their closets accordingly. One thing happened consistently once clients learned how to edit : they started to shop with purpose and made better choices by thinking about longevity and resale value. By doing so, they were investing back into themselves, saving money and adding quality pieces to their wardrobe that worked with the rest of their closet.
That’s what coopd is all about - educating people on the basic economics of the resale market, helping them edit down their wardrobe and offering them a safe space to sell and buy luxury designer items.
Ashley LaMontagne is a personal stylist with over 20 years of experience. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada where she began her career in retail, she departed her hometown to study design and further sharpened the tools needed to articulate her intuition. After graduating, she spent some time working and living in London, Vancouver, and Southern California. In moving from city to city, her definition of style shaped and shifted, but her love for fashion remained. Throughout the years, she’s had the pleasure of working with some of the industry's leading models, photographers and creative directors.
Over time, her extensive knowledge of the resale world attracted friends and family who sought advice on consignment and authentication. What began as a casual hobby evolved and grew over time until eventually, the idea of coopd was born.