Rylka is one of a generation of millennial and Gen Z entrepreneurs who got their start flipping fashion and accessories on Ebay or Depop, before launching their own curated archive or vintage resale platforms, aimed at Gen Z consumers with youthful marketing on platforms like TikTok. Unlike major resale platforms like The Real Real or Vestiaire Collective, that accept most brands, these archive sellers are focused on mostly vintage styles from specific labels or aesthetics, based on personal interest and current trends. As archival fashion continues to thrive among young consumers, these small operations have big ambitions, while faced with the growing competition for inventory and a challenging counterfeit landscape.
The archival fashion space has revolutionised in the last decade, says Ian Campbell, founder of US-based archival resale platform Arbitrage NYC, as young consumers increasingly seek more and more information and context for their clothes, and platforms such as TikTok facilitate better sharing of fashion history. “When I launched Arbitrage we were sort of at a turning point for fashion in the United States, with the help of Instagram,” Campbell says. “I kind of caught the upswing.”
Arbitrage was founded by Campbell, then a college student, in 2015 to help him find connections in the fashion industry. He began finding rare archival pieces from Helmut Lang and Maision Margiela on platforms including Ebay and selling them via Instagram. “It was very much on a shoestring back then,” he says. “It was taking photos in my apartment on my shelf with no lights or professional camera.”
Now, he works on Arbitrage alongside his day job, in collaboration with partner in life and work Alexandra Mitchell, who helps him source and resell Rick Owens (1994-2004), Balenciaga (1998-2013), Masion Margiela, Helmut Lang, Karl Lagerfeld-era Chanel and a smattering of smaller offerings by niche designers from the 80s-00s. The business is what they call a “profitable passion project” — revenues hit mid-five figures last year, up 31 per cent on 2021.
Tapping the TikTok community
Rylka and his two team members star in Break Archive’s tongue-in-cheek TikTok videos, posing with his latest available bags to drum up excitement for coming drops. “It’s about opening a dialogue with your clients and your audience and TikTok has been a massive help for that,” he says. “I get lots of repeat customers commenting on my videos. So, there’s this community that’s been built, and it’s a really beautiful thing to see.”
