Fashion
Sarah Davis, founder of Fashionphile, talks new mega Los Angeles flagship opening
Published
November 1, 2025
On September 29, Fashionphile, an ultra-luxury re-commerce brand, announced the opening of a giant 32,330-square-foot flagship store at Row DTLA in Los Angeles. It’s is a major expansion for the brand, coupled with the recent acquisition of the UK-based Luxe Collective resale company. Sarah Davis, founder and president of Fashionphile, gives FashionNetwork.com details of her firm’s most recent opening and shares the brand’s ambitions for both the U.S. and international markets.
FashionNetwork: Was Los Angeles a natural choice for your new flagship store?
Sarah Davis: Yes, Los Angeles was a natural choice for Fashionphile’s new flagship store. Our first mini flagship opened to the public in 2006 in a second-floor space in Beverly Hills off Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Blvd. I was born in South Pasadena. LA represents our roots and the heart of our largest U.S. customer base. It has a global reputation for luxury, trend setting and celebrity culture that aligns perfectly with us. Fashionphile’s focus on authenticated pre-owned designer goods and LA’s proximity to major fashion hubs, Hollywood/media influence, and an established luxury retail scene, including Beverly Hills and the Westside, made it a strategic and symbolic choice for the flagship.
FNW: You are expanding from 7,000 to 32,330 square feett at Row DTLA. How are you using this giant space?
S.D.: Since 2006, Fashionphile has pioneered a model unique in luxury resale: the ability for customers to walk into a full authentication center and shop directly from the complete online inventory stored onsite. No other player in our space offers this experience. We’re expanding from a 7,000-square-feet tech and digital office to a 32,330-square-feet multi-use flagship that will serve as a luxury retail designation, an event space, a state-of-the-art operations hub and a office and content creation studio for our LA based marketing, digital, data and tech teams. Behind the scenes, the expansion allows us to take care of back of house operations, offices, a studio for content creation, packing and shipping and training for Fashionphile university to develop the next generation of luxury authentication experts, all under one roof, bringing efficiency and transparency to every step of the resale process.
FNW: You are promoting a new immersive shopping experience. What exactly does that involve?
S.D.: The customer entry of the space is designed as a world class, luxury showroom where local clients can shop, sell, and experience the very best of Fashionphile. They can come in to sell their ultra luxury handbags and accessories and get paid on the spot. And they can also shop in person from up to 10,000 items available in our online inventory for everything from rare handbags to fine jewelry. This is a truly unique experience as there is no other resale or retail destination outside of Fashionphile that will allow a customer to bet paid up front and shop from such an extensive inventory.
FNW: Your sales grew strongly in 2024, with profits up 67%. Is the development of physical stores behind this success? Are there plans to open more physical stores?
S.D.: We’ve had flagship locations open since 2006. We opened in San Francisco in 2009, and then in San Diego in 2012. We opened a Salon off Madison Avenue in New York City in 2018 and a flagship there in 2022. We’re opening more stores to support our growth but our success is coming from pushing in every channel.
FNW: What is the outlook for growth in 2025?
S.D.: We’re looking to continue our revenue growth in 2025 and expect to beat our already aggressive growth plans.
FNW: In a highly competitive market, how do you explain your success? Does the increase in retail prices in the luxury sector encourage consumers to turn more to the resale market?
S.D.: Fashionphile was the first to bring data-driven pricing and scale to the secondary luxury market. Many competitors followed quickly to launch direct-to-consumer shops. But they missed what was always special and differentiating about Fashionphile. We’ve spent the last 25 years building a brand that our brand obsessed customers can be passionate about. We’ve built a reputation as the most trusted source for pre-owned ultra-luxury, offering the same standards and elevated experience that you’d expect from a first market boutique. That said, as retail prices for classic bags continue to rise, resale has become not just a smart alternative, but a smarter investment. Our growth comes from meeting that modern luxury customer exactly where they are. They want an elevated luxury experience, authenticity, and flexibility without compromise.
FNW: Which products are consumers particularly interested in today?
S.D.: It’s fascinating because while you can see some really great insights, and specific data around this, from our 2025 resale report, what stands out to me is how the iconic styles have so much sticking power. Our number one top-shopped bag was the Louis Vuitton Speedy. It’s been in the number 1 spot many of the last 40-plus years, which is why it was featured in our new book as one of the top 25 iconic bags.
FNW: You have been partnered with Neiman Marcus since 2019. How is this partnership going and what other developments would you like to pursue with them?
S.D.: Our partnership with Neiman Marcus has been incredibly successful and continues to evolve over time. Since 2019, we’ve created a seamless bridge between the primary and secondary luxury markets, offering Neiman Marcus clients an easy and trusted way to sell their luxury goods in store and online. It’s expanded our reach and given Neiman Marcus customers a full-circle luxury experience where they can sell to Fashionphile and then take that money and spend it at Neiman Marcus. Looking ahead, we’re excited to deepen that partnership in ways that make resale even more accessible to the Neiman Marcus customer. More to come!
FNW: You have just announced the acquisition of Luxe Collective in the UK. What are your ambitions in this market?
S.D.: Yes, we’re absolutely thrilled about our acquisition of Luxe Collective in the UK. The UK is one of the most sophisticated and fast-growing luxury resale markets in the world, but there is no one doing our brand of resale at scale. This move is an important step in Fashionphile’s international expansion plan. Our ambition is to bring the same level of trust, technology, and white-glove service that defines the Fashionphile brand here in the U.S. to customers around the globe. The Luxe Collective team has built an incredible social following, community and deep local expertise, and together we’re combining that with Fashionphile’s advanced authentication, data, and logistics capabilities to create a truly global resale platform.
FNW: What are your ambitions more generally on the international resale market?
S.D.: More broadly, we see a lot of opportunity in the international market. Demand for pre-owned luxury is accelerating everywhere, and consumers are increasingly embracing resale as both a sustainable choice and a smart financial decision. Our goal is to build a consistent, trusted experience for buyers and sellers worldwide.
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The direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales increased 4.8 per cent to $56.8 million, driven by comparable sales growth of 6.3 per cent, reflecting enhancements to the omnichannel customer experience and stronger engagement with curated product assortments.
Canadian outdoor lifestyle brand Roots has reported solid Q3 FY25 results, with sales rising 6.8 per cent to $71.5 million, driven by DTC growth and stronger wholesale demand.
Gross margin improved to 60.8 per cent, while Adjusted EBITDA increased 5.3 per cent to $7.5 million.
Net income stood at $2.3 million, and net debt declined 5.9 per cent, reflecting disciplined execution.
The gross profit of the company increased 8.1 per cent to $43.4 million, while gross margin improved by 80 basis points (bps) to 60.8 per cent. DTC gross margin rose 140 bps to 65.4 per cent, benefiting from improved product costing and lower discounting, which offset unfavourable foreign exchange impacts on US dollar purchases, Roots said in a press release.
Partners & Other (P&O) sales grew 15.3 per cent to $14.6 million, supported by earlier wholesale orders from Roots’ operating partner in Taiwan for upcoming holiday and spring seasons, along with higher domestic wholesale sales of custom Roots-branded products.
Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses increased 10.6 per cent to $38.2 million, largely due to higher variable costs linked to sales growth, strategic investments in marketing and personnel, incremental US duties on e-commerce sales, and higher share-based compensation expenses.
The net income stood at $2.3 million, or $0.06 per share during the period under review, compared with $2.4 million a year earlier. Excluding the impact of revaluation of cash-settled instruments under the share-based compensation plan, net income would have been $2.4 million, representing a 1.5 per cent improvement YoY. Adjusted EBITDA rose 5.3 per cent to $7.5 million, or 7.3 per cent on an adjusted basis excluding revaluation impacts.
“Roots delivered strong third-quarter results, with growth driven by consumers’ positive response to our products, enhanced marketing efforts, and improved in-store execution,” said Meghan Roach, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Roots Corporation. “Even in a dynamic retail environment, our heritage, quality, and focus on comfort continued to differentiate the brand and drive engagement across our omnichannel platform. We remain disciplined in execution and committed to strengthening the foundations of the brand to support long-term value creation. While early in the fourth quarter, we continue to experience positive trends.”
“Our disciplined approach to investing in strategic growth continues to deliver results,” said Leon Wu, chief financial officer (CFO) at Roots. “We have sustained positive sales momentum and maintained the underlying margins of those sales, supporting a stronger balance sheet with year-over-year reductions in net debt.”
Net debt declined 5.9 per cent YoY to $44.1 million, while the company also repurchased 415,200 common shares for $1.3 million under its normal course issuer bid.
For the first nine months of FY25, total sales increased 6.6 per cent to $162.2 million, with DTC sales rising 8.6 per cent and comparable sales growth reaching 11.5 per cent. The gross margin expanded to 60.9 per cent, while net loss narrowed to $10 million from $11.7 million a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA improved to a loss of $1.7 million, reflecting continued progress towards profitability.
At the end of Q3 FY25, inventory stood at $66.6 million, reflecting preparations for peak holiday demand and higher in-transit stock. Free cash flow improved to a loss of $4.6 million, while total liquidity amounted to $34.5 million, providing financial flexibility heading into the final quarter.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
The economy is already at trend growth, and private final demand is running stronger than the RBA anticipated.
The NAB business survey shows that capacity utilisation is elevated and that there is breadth to this dynamic at an industry level. Businesses reported less pressure on margins over recent months.
The National Australia Bank expects the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to raise the policy rate by 25 bps in February, followed by another likely 25-bps hike in May, taking the cash rate to 4.1 per cent.
The economy is already at trend growth, and private final demand is running stronger than RBA’s anticipation.
Inflation accelerated in Q3 2025, and NAB forecast a 0.9-per cent QoQ for trimmed-mean in Q4.
Inflation accelerated in the third quarter (Q3), and NAB has forecast a 0.9-per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) for trimmed-mean in Q4, suggesting inflationary pressures have persisted.
If realised, this will imply a period of five quarters in which the annual rate of core inflation runs at 3 per cent or higher. Moreover, it would represent a 15 basis points surprise relative to the RBA’s most recent forecast for the Q4 outcome.
Taken in conjunction with stronger growth outcomes and evidence of capacity constraints starting to bind, the bank believes an inflation outcome of this magnitude will force the RBA to execute a modest recalibration of monetary policy in the first half next year, an NAB release said.
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