S10 Ep19 WARDROBE AFFAIRE: Ivana Perbi founder of the world's first discovery platform for pre-loved fashion events - on pivoting from rental to resale, and building infrastructure for a global secondhand events industry.

S10 Ep19 WARDROBE AFFAIRE: Ivana Perbi founder of the world's first discovery platform for pre-loved fashion events - on pivoting from rental to resale, and building infrastructure for a global secondhand events industry.

Author: Emily Stochl August 31, 2026 Duration: 46:33

Today we're chatting with Ivana Perbi, founder of Wardrobe Affaire, the world's first discovery platform dedicated to pre-loved fashion events, which is on a mission to help secondhand event organizers seamlessly host fashion experiences and help shoppers discover them – all over the world. Ivana grew up in southern Germany, where secondhand wasn't a trend but simply how her family shopped, and where weekends at the flea market where her mother sold clothes shaped her eye for style.

After a decade working inside luxury fashion houses like Louis Vuitton and Chanel, a research trip back to her birthplace of Accra, Ghana — and a visit to the sprawling Kantamanto secondhand market — changed everything for her. Ivana left the corporate world, retrained as a UX designer, and launched a fashion rental platform in Berlin. 

But after three years of testing, and some incredibly successful event pop-ups, she recognized a much bigger opportunity and pivoted Wardrobe Affaire into what it is today: a platform built to solve the real logistical headaches of hosting and discovering pre-loved fashion events.

We're getting into it all — the pivot from rental to events, and her favorite vintage finds, including the vintage Chanel she found for a steal at a Berlin flea market! 

Let's dive right in!

DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:

  • [02:54] Ivana loved style and collecting fashion magazines growing up
  • [07:04] When sustainability in fashion started to connect with her personal values 
  • [08:20] Learning about Ghana's Kantamanto Market and the scale of secondhand clothing waste 
  • [11:07] Ways to keep clothing in circularity — repair, swapping, and rental 
  • [13:29] What she learned about repair and craftsmanship working at Louis Vuitton and Chanel 
  • [15:23] The origin story of her first fashion rental platform 
  • [16:18] Convincing lenders, consumers, and investors to embrace rental in Germany 
  • [18:08] What she learned about the "attitude-behavior gap" in sustainable fashion
  • [20:52] Deciding to pivot from rental into secondhand events
  • [23:42] The gaps she was trying to fill in the pre-loved events space, including event discovery 
  • [27:47] What's keeping would-be shoppers on the sidelines from attending events 
  • [31:27] Why curation of vendors is everything at a vintage shopping event 
  • [36:03] What the pivot required of her personally as a founder 
  • [38:26] Her personal style and vintage collection 

EPISODE MENTIONS: 

LET'S CONNECT: 

SPECIAL THANKS: 

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Every week, Emily Stochl invites you into a conversation that goes far beyond the clothing rack. Pre-Loved Podcast with Emily Stochl is built on the idea that every second-hand garment has a past, and that exploring those histories makes our present style more meaningful. Rather than just offering shopping tips, each episode feels like sitting down with a fascinating friend who shares your passion for vintage, digging into the many layers of what it means to wear pre-owned fashion. You’ll hear from a diverse range of guests-from collectors and stylists to entrepreneurs and historians-as they explore not only personal style but also the practicalities of running a resale business, the complexities of the global second-hand market, and the environmental ethos behind choosing used over new. The heart of this podcast lives in those incredible stories: the serendipitous flea market find, the garment that carries a decade of memories, or the simple, powerful act of giving a piece a new life. Emily guides these discussions with genuine curiosity, making each topic accessible whether you're a seasoned thrifter or just curious about sustainable fashion. It’s a thoughtful, engaging look at how what we wear connects to culture, art, beauty, and the kind of mindful consumption that can reshape an industry. Tune in for a fresh perspective that celebrates the character, sustainability, and deep personal connection found in pre-loved fashion.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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