#8: The Prada shoe that sparked a fashion tech resale platform
A conversation with Future Reference founder Claire Illmer on the joys of resale
In this issue we’re chatting with
’s founder , covering everything from her best vintage shopping tips to her search for the perfect secondhand wedding dress.A note from : My first introduction to Claire was through this
podcast. I was so blown away by Claire’s background and what she was doing to make resale more accessible that I immediately dm’d her to find out more. Claire graciously opened up her schedule for an informational interview and told me her fascinating secondhand origin story that led her to start . Three months later, I’m excited to come full circle and share Claire’s interview with the Substack community.
First things first - I love a good fashion backstory. How did your interest in fashion get started?
I’ve always been a very visual person and loved fashion growing up. I used to subscribe to all of the magazines and really got into Tumblr during that era. I grew up in Dallas and would spend my weekends going to Neiman Marcus (RIP) just to look at all of the beautiful things, even though I couldn’t afford them at the time. I fell in love with vintage fashion around the same time when I went to my first estate sale with my mom. I remember that we went to a beautiful house in Dallas and I found these Prada heels that I still have today. In fact, I’ve had them resoled several times and actually wore them to my wedding this January.
You’ve racked up some serious thrifting time. What’s your all-time favorite secondhand score?
I have two! My Prada heels and a Donna Karan Runway black gown that I got from Arcade Vintage at A Current Affair. I’m just in love with this dress and have an emotional tie to it. I don't get to wear it that often since it’s black tie-level formal, but it fits so well and it's such high quality.
On the flip side, what’s your biggest fashion regret?
I got a Chanel Classic Flap bag to celebrate my 30th birthday, and looking back I think I was more in love with the idea of having a classic Chanel bag than actually blending it into my wardrobe. It doesn’t entirely fit with my personal style and sits in my closet more than it should. I’m going to hold on to it a bit longer to see if my perspective changes since it’s such a classic piece. If I do decide to put this back into resale, one good thing is that I should be able to make a profit. The prices have increased significantly since I bought my bag and the Classic Flap holds its resale value so well. Food for thought for anyone considering letting go of their Chanel.
Something we’re seeing a lot of discussion around on is how to move on and learn from fashion regrets. What lessons have you taken from yours?
Most of my fashion regrets come from a time when I was still finding my style and getting sucked in by sales. I used to spend so much time scrolling online and buying things that I didn’t really need because they were a bargain. When I first moved to New York I went to a lot of sample sales. I’d stand in line for hours and you end up buying things because they're a deal and you've committed so much time and effort. Then you get home and realize that you actually didn’t actually need that thing at all.
When I really started shopping secondhand first, my perspective shifted to finding pieces that either felt special and I adored, or that filled gaps in my wardrobe. There are so many amazing secondhand items out there! I have much more fun that way, and I think it leads to me buying a lot less overall.
The Future Reference community is using the platform to level up their wardrobes during big life events. How are you approaching resale for your lifestyle changes?
When I moved from the East Coast to the West Coast after college, I transitioned from going out tops to a professional wardrobe full of classic, minimalist pieces. I lived in San Francisco, which is not always the epitome of style, and worked at Google. That’s where I developed my day-to-day wardrobe of a jean/button down shirt/blazer combo.
Over time I found that I really wanted to add back in items that are more fun and eclectic. When I moved to New York a few years ago, I started leaning into those funkier special items, more basics with a twist. I also began to rotate out my lower quality pieces for higher quality brands, going from Zara to Acne or Toteme.
I’ve loved having seasons in New York where I can wear all types of coats, jackets, and shoes. They’re my favorite things to buy and the cornerstone of my wardrobe. Today I spend a lot of time at my computer building
, so my style has simplified and I’ve been looking for cozier pieces.
How did you go from thrifting to resale?
I first started reselling in college when I didn’t have much money and had discovered Poshmark and eBay. I wasn’t professional by any means, but I was selling things that I no longer wore. I had a bunch of going out tops and things that were just sitting in my closet and wanted to make money to go shopping. I thought of it as reinvesting - if I could get 20-30% back on what I was selling, then I could put that money toward buying new things. You could say that my interest in circular fashion started there.
You shared your perfect New York Saturday last week. Can you tell us more about your favorite secondhand spots in the city?
A Current Affair is my version of the Super Bowl where vintage vendors fly in from all over the country to set up in a warehouse in Industry City several times a year. I save up for special investment vintage pieces whenever they’re in town and have favorite vendors that I follow on Instagram.
Claire’s Tip: Follow vintage vendors that you meet at A Current Affair on Instagram and message them if you see a special piece that you’d like them to bring to the next event.
Otherwise I love Stella Dallas and 2nd Street. I’m also very excited for the Pickwick Vintage Show to come to New York for the first time in two months. I’m so interested to see if they have the same vendors.
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Taking a page from , if you could only wear one designer for the rest of your life who would it be and why?
Definitely Phoebe Philo era Celine. It’s the perfect mix of modern and minimal, simple but with an edge. All of her pieces have visual interest and have lasted over a decade in terms of items that women want to wear. She did everything so well: bags, shoes, clothing. I would also buy Phoebe Philo for my wardrobe today, but let’s wait until our Series C at least.
Love old Celine. Is there one piece that reflects your connection to the brand?
It’s actually a wedding dress from the Celine SS13 collection. I’ve never looked at wedding dresses before and thought I want to wear that until I saw this dress that Nisi wore for her wedding. I looked everywhere for this dress for over nine months. I talked to sourcers and Celine-specific people and hunted for it on my own. I finally found it but in a size too small for me and had to pass on it. It was three weeks before my wedding and I didn't have anything to wear to my civil ceremony.
I’m on the edge of my seat. What did you end up doing?
I went into The RealReal to return a few things and found a Bruno Cucinelli dress that was incredible. I had it reworked slightly by a tailor, which I always recommend, and I loved how it turned out. I also wore my grandmother’s silver omega necklace and my mom’s vintage stole. Then I had something borrowed, something old, and for something new I bought a pair of Sophie Buhai Anna Earrings that I wore the day of my ceremony. I’ve also worn those earrings countless times since, with everything from gowns to jeans and a t-shirt - a true investment piece.
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Speaking of secondhand, how do you see resale evolving in the next five years?
I think that there will be huge tailwinds with tariffs. If goods get more expensive, more people will look to resale for quality and value. I also think that AI and digitization will play a huge part. I’m super excited about the digital product passport legislation coming out of the EU for sustainability and consumer purposes, but I think it will be a while before consumer adoption is mainstream. Brands are supposed to adopt it by the end of 2026, but there are questions about costs and enforcement, especially for emerging brands. In the meantime, Future Reference will help bridge the digitization gap as everyone becomes used to having a digital twin of their physical items.
I also think that curators will drive a lot of demand and education on how to shop. There’s so much good inventory out there, it’s about becoming knowledgeable about the space. More brands will also adopt Resale-as-a-Service (RaaS), but the majority of resale will be online multi-brand marketplaces. You’ll see more links between the two.
What circular fashion companies are on your watchlist?
I was introduced to two companies at EDGE during New York Fashion Week this February. I saw this amazing company called Gildform that does on-demand jewelry manufacturing to reduce overstock, which I think is fascinating. They’re based out of Detroit.
I’m also watching Raspberry.ai, which is assortment planning AI infrastructure for brands to help reduce consumption. Both are very cool because I think what’s core to a more sustainable fashion ecosystem is that the fashion industry itself needs to produce less stuff.
How did you reimagine resale as you were building Future Reference?
I am a firm believer that digitization will be at the core of the next wave of resale. I’ve dealt with the listing pain points personally with the time and effort needed to participate in the circular economy. As I did, I realized all of this info from our purchases sits in our email, so why isn’t it better organized and being made useful for resale? That’s where the idea of the connected digital wardrobe came from.
We originally thought about launching our own resale marketplace, but after talking to hundreds of potential customers, everyone had the same perspective that they just wanted their stuff sold and it didn’t particularly matter where as long as it was easy. That’s when we decided to focus solely on the supply side and cross-listing, which is where we’re seeing growth today. Our proprietary AI manages listings on behalf of our users and we’re seeing sales across every platform.
Tell us about your career journey before starting Future Reference.
I always worked in tech, first at Google and YouTube. I had a winding career where I did sales, then UX, then GTM strategy, then product. I think having this generalist experience in a lot of areas has made me feel more confident as an entrepreneur. I knew that I was interested in resale and circularity and that's why I got my MBA to get more familiar with the space.
While I got my MBA, I worked at thredUP where I got to see the inside workings of how resale companies operate, what the margins are like, and how the business is structured. I was ideating on
, but didn't know how to put together a team and manage engineers in a hands-on way since I had always worked with an engineering manager that supervised the engineers and designers. After thredUP I decided to go to Canal, because I wanted to go to a very small startup to see how the sauce was made. After doing that for two years is when I felt like I can do this. It was also the right timing with the rise of AI.On the topic of YouTube, who’s your favorite fashion YouTube creator?
I love Emma Chamberlain. When I joined YouTube I was actually never a huge YouTube watcher, but she's the only one I've watched for such a long time. Her content resonated with me since it felt like she was on the same pathway that I was in high school and college, with her thrifting being about acquiring things and getting deals. I feel like I've really seen her style evolution and how real she is.
Let’s end with a twist on our Team F|R Loves. What have you bought recently?
So far in 2025 I’ve bought these five pieces and everything was secondhand.
I’m having a gold moment with my new-to-me gold Maudiere bag and Ralph Lauren coat. I saw
style one of these bags she got from Gimi Rarity, and I’ve been hunting a similar one down ever since.
I also found a 2013 Chanel mini skirt for my birthday that was sub-$200, an incredible score for the quality and price. Then I saw a Givenchy gown on The RealReal (or as TRR labeled it, a “mini dress”) that looked like it might have pant legs. I took a chance and ordered it. When my package arrived I found it was actually a jumpsuit with an amazing attached draped scarf. I love it even more now.
And our last question has to be: what have you sold?
Spring cleaning is real! Not just people selling, but demand is also up.
I sold five items last week. There were a few pieces that I’ve been sitting on for a while to make sure I was really ready to part with them. I had a handbag clean out and sold an Alexander Wang, an old Bottega from an estate sale, and a Cult Gaia tassel bag. I also sold an Isabel Marant jumpsuit and a Reformation dress that I realized I haven’t worn in forever during my closet audit. The value retention was anywhere from 30% up to 90%, and I’ve had all of these pieces for over seven years. I love the idea of putting these back into circulation so someone else can have a special moment wearing them.
If you have questions for Claire or are looking for more tips on resale, secondhand shopping, or getting started at Future Reference, we’ve got you covered in the comment section.
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Claire, it was incredible to learn about your backstory and everything you're doing at Future Reference! I absolutely loved chatting with you.
I am dying over the Givenchy dress and that clutch! such good finds