Seth Weisser and Gerard Mainone founded New York’s most glamorous retailer of vintage luxury accessories 25 years ago. At the close of New York Fashion Week, Christie’s will be mounting a sale of some of the duo’s favourite pieces
Founded in New York City’s SoHo neighbourhood in 1993 by Seth
Weisser and Gerard Maione, luxury vintage retailer
What Goes Around Comes Around has long been
the go-to spot for fashion-industry insiders, celebrities
and other in-the-know clients. Today, additional outposts
of WGACA can be found in Beverly Hills, Miami Beach and East
Hampton, each stocked with a carefully curated selection
of exceptional finds from Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and more.
On 18 September WGACA will mark its 25th anniversary with
a landmark sale at Christie’s. The auction, which includes
one-of-a-kind items and coveted vintage pieces by the likes of Hermès
and Chanel, among many others, offers an opportunity to acquire
some of the founders’ own favourites.
Ahead of the sale, Seth Weisser talks to us about how it all began,
and shares his predictions for the luxury vintage market.
How did What Goes Around Comes Around get started?
Seth Weisser: ‘Gerard and I founded WGACA
in 1993 with the goal of creating a curated luxury lifestyle
shopping experience with vintage as the base. At that time
no company had successfully created a true retail experience
that combined the “best” of each era with the “best” of each
top brand. What set WGACA apart was our highly selective
curation and keen understanding of the high-fashion market.’
How do you go about sourcing vintage handbags, and what do you look for?
SW: ‘Our team of expert buyers travels the
world and sources products directly from private collectors,
top dealers and auctions. As a business, we buy outright
and directly invest in the products we believe in. This is
quite different to most companies out there, and as a result
many top-tier clients and collectors prefer to sell directly
to us.
‘We also have amazing longstanding relationships with our clientele,
which makes them more comfortable entrusting our team with
the process of finding a great new home for their one-of-a-kind
pieces.’
What is the difference between buying a new handbag and buying on the secondary market?
SW: ‘There is clearly a big difference between
buying new versus “pre-loved”. Primarily, buying on the secondary
market allows clients access to discontinued items that are
no longer available from the brands themselves. Luxury is
about quality and exclusivity. Many items we offer are extremely
rare, and the only way to acquire them is through the secondary
market.
‘Our goal at WGACA has always been to seek out the unique
items, allowing our clients to find those perfect pieces
that allow them to express their individual style. In today’s
world of oversaturation and total access, we feel that many
“pre-owned” items are even more exclusive than what’s currently
out there. This is one of the reasons we have such an amazing
following.’
Tell us about the rise of the male market for vintage luxury — do you see this continuing to be a significant element of your business in coming years?
SW: ‘From the beginning, Gerard and I — two
New York native guys — sought to offer the What Goes Around
Comes Around experience to both men and women. These days,
men’s luxury is only getting bigger and the market is growing
year after year. We have seen a tremendous increase in our
male client base, with men now collecting on the same level
as our female clients have historically.
‘From our early days of vintage Levi’s and rock T-shirts, we’ve
evolved to offer a variety of options for men, including
super-rare pieces from iconic designers like Louis Vuitton
and Gucci. Evolving and servicing the male luxury vintage
fashion market continues to be a key area of focus and differentiation
for WGACA.’