When New Zealand womenswear label Maggie Marilyn first released its peach blazer, sales were slow and the brand was burdened with excess stock. Cut forward four years to its anniversary archive sale and the blazer was a sell-out — even at its original full price — with multiple customers requesting it be reissued.
After the success of the full-price archive sale, founder Maggie Hewitt is making a stand against markdowns. “To markdown our clothes tells the customer we think it’s worth less. But we see just as much value in our clothing years down the line as the minute it leaves the factory floor,” she says. The archive sale is now a permanent fixture and Hewitt adds she would be happy to take back stock from wholesale partners to avoid it being marked down.
