Why are so many independent designers hosting archive sales?

This is Connecting the Dots, a series in which writer José Criales-Unzueta looks at how fashion, pop culture, the internet and society are all interconnected.

Anyone who likes fashion loves a sale — except, perhaps, designers. This has been a particularly sales-heavy year, with sample sales, archive sales and open studios alike. Independent designers, particularly in New York, have been hosting them one after the other, and sometimes, all at once. Over Memorial Day weekend, there were three: Diotima’s Rachel Scott hosted an open studio, Connor McKnight held an archive sale, while Vaquera threw a “super sale”. In the past month or so, there were more, including Christopher John Rogers, Collina Strada, Zankov, Eckhaus Latta, Rachel Comey, Mansur Gavriel and 3.1 Phillip Lim (online).

The reasoning feels straightforward enough. With some retailers like Matches going under and others at woes, and with designers reporting slower payments from wholesalers and smaller orders, it makes sense to offload as much inventory as they have available, particularly as we enter the sluggish summer months. It’s worth remembering that many of these smaller brands don’t work on pre-collections, so whatever they produce for spring has to offer enough mileage to get them to autumn deliveries.

But the story is not as simple as it seems. Just last week, I was on the phone with the designer of a popular independent label, who mentioned that their brand is currently performing satisfactorily and growing, yet is still facing some cash flow problems. Two things can be true, was their way of putting it. The same thing happens with these sales, at least according to the designers I’ve spoken to while perusing through their racks. Yes, cash flow is nice, and sure, they can use the money at this time, though these sales are about a little more than that.

What’s in a name

While the concept of a sample has been around for what feels like aeons, the framing of an ‘archive’ sale is relatively new. Much of it has to do with Gen Z and millennials and our collective fascination with all things old, or simply older. A sample sale is fun, yet an archive sale offers a treasure trove of unearthed gems from seasons past, however old.