The Runways Look a Lot Like Resale Sites This Season

Reboot culture is coming for fashion, and nothing says "We need a hit!" like a reissue of a blockbuster item.

The Dior F/W 2025 runway

Observing Paris Fashion Week from afar is strange. Some of what a brand hopes to achieve by holding a runway show can be communicated through a screen: You get close-up shots of the clothes and accessories, read the show notes, see who sat front row and what they wore. But images alone can’t give you a grasp on the feeling in the room, a sensory experience built through carefully considered choices of a venue, a soundtrack, seating arrangements, lighting, and the like.

Of course, certain emotions are easily triggered through photos. One of them is nostalgia, especially if what you’re looking at transports you to a specific, meaningful moment in your life. This has come up for me a few times while browsing the Paris collections, when items I admired in magazines and paparazzi photos as a teen appeared on the runway as if they were brand new. First came the “J’adore Dior” logo tee last week, followed closely by the Chloé Paddington bag, and the Alexander McQueen skull scarf — all early aughts mega hits that are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, thanks to a continued aesthetic interest in all things Y2K and a booming resale landscape.

Another feeling that you can sense through a screen is less pleasant: desperation. Anyone paying attention to the luxury market knows that earnings are falling as prices are rising, and many labels are under extreme pressure to perform and produce an “It” item. This is much easier said than done, especially in a time when creative directors are given only a few seasons to find their stride before they’re replaced. When you have data that points to something working well, it’d be silly not to use it — which is likely why the runways are looking a lot like secondhand sites this season.

The Dior F/W 2025 runway; a screenshot from The RealReal

That fashion houses rerelease their classics is not news, and sentimentality can be a powerful sales driver. But with these particular products, it seems to me that brands are trying to capitalize on — and recoup losses from — the success they’ve seen at resale. They are the latest in a string of aughts icons that have enjoyed an official reissue, including the Dior Saddle bag, which first appeared on the S/S 2000 runway and was the subject of a massive influencer gifting blitz in 2018. Last year, Balenciaga relaunched its beloved City bag, which debuted in 2001, to much fanfare, including a great ad campaign by Lauren Greenfield.