Luxury Promise has been making waves in the fashion world. Pre-loved goods are the new thing and we had the pleasure of speaking to Sabrina Sadiq CEO of Luxury Promise
Creative Direction: Kaniz Ali
Photography: Sanae Rasul
Hair: Sophie Smith
Make Up/Styling: Kaniz Ali
Green Blazer: Balmain
White Blazer: Samara Ghani
Location: Luxury Promise, Flagship Store, Central London
Article Edited: Nashmia Amir Butt
Jewellery: Nim’s Boutique
www.luxurypromise.com
Grazia: Tell us about Luxury Promise and the launch of your new flag ship store in London? What’s the next move for Luxury Promise?
Sabrina Sadiq: Luxury Promise was launched in 2017, and is for the next generation, a social commerce-driven luxury resale platform for some of the most sort after pre-loved luxury items, which celebrates and nurtures a community of avid shoppers around the globe. The Luxury Promise South Molton Street Maison was set up for customers to be able to take the digital experience offline, giving customers an opportunity to touch, feel, and try the products. You can actually meet the team of experts and authenticators in person. Luxury Promise had its boom during the pandemic, growing 5 times online, which led to us taking things to the next level and opening up our flagship store in the heart of London. The store is designed to have a fun experience, customers can see a selection of over 4,000 items whilst they enjoy a cup of coffee or simply browse our website. We also have offices and a pop-up store in Dubai; where our Middle Eastern community of shoppers and buyers can buy and sell pre-loved luxury items. As a company, we believe in giving our customers an offline and online experience. We are a next-generation platform offering our consumers a way to shop our items via our live shopping channel. Whether you are sitting in Dubai, Pakistan or Paris you are able to watch product reviews on our live shows and ask our experts questions. So if you can’t visit in-person do not worry we believe in being an inclusive brand. What is next for Luxury Promise? It is to become a global luxury brand serving our community of buyers and sellers all over the world. And as a I like to say, “taking over the world one hand bag at a time”.
Grazia: What inspired you to create Luxury Promise?
Sabrina: My inspiration to create Luxury Promise came from buying my first pre-loved handbag which was a vintage Hermes Kelly and then going on to selling it for double the price. Here I learnt that a luxury handbag can really be an investment. It led me to explore the world of authentication. I then went on to setting up a school of authentication, teaching many people on how to spot a fake. Whilst studying authentication I learnt that the secondary pre-loved market was still very fragmented and that resale platforms were not inclusive. So many markets were still untapped and with a shift to consumers mind set to sustainability someone had to bring a new fresh and diverse approach to second-hand goods. Luxury Promise was created to solve a problem in the market which was to connect fragmented markets as well as bring back the luxury in second-hand.
Grazia: What’s the best advice you would give a new entrepreneur starting off?
Sabrina: Don’t be scared to fail. I think it is always important to remember that failure is needed to learn to become better. If you want to do something just go for it. Just love what you do and let your passion drive you. You will then feel like you never need work a day in your life. Take every opportunity you can take to push your business to the next level. Sometimes you have to take yourself out of your comfort zone. It is not always smooth sailing and success is never ever easy. It takes times and it is hard work and that hard work never stops.
Grazia: It’s a brave move to not pursue a career in law but to start afresh and become a business entrepreneur. What gave you this drive?
Sabrina: Pursuing a career in law was not for me and not my calling. Often we think that because we choose to study something that’s the career path we should take. Actually my love for fashion started when I was at law school and I was instantly drawn to it. When I realized that I could make money trading pre-loved handbags my mindset instantly changed. I wanted to be a ‘bag trader’. It gave me a sense of independence to basically make money from my own wardrobe and then work through friends’ and family’s wardrobe. My late father was really my role model and seeing him work hard taught me the real value of handwork and achieving your goals and dreams. The drive taught me that anything is achievable if you put your mind to it. Being over ambitious has never harmed anyone. And I plan to go big. We only get one shot at life.
Grazia: You are mother to 3 beautiful children. What’s the best advice you would give to a working mother?
Sabrina: It isn’t easy and it never will be. Often as working mothers we feel guilty for not spending enough time with our children and that is completely normal. Just remember, children need good role models and it is important to show them that working hard is important. And most importantly teaching our children that no dream is too big. It is really difficult finding a work-life balance and to be honest we may never get it. It also takes a lot of courage and your children can see that. It teaches them. I have a very supportive husband and without him none of this would be possible. We often see working women and wonder how they do it all. I wish I could say I could do it all but it takes sacrifice and involves having a huge support network. I am very lucky I have my mum and sisters to help me. Plus they say every working mum is a superwoman.
