Written by Menswear Style in Interviews on the 25th February 2022

MARRKT is a consignment store selling pre-owned items, sourced from and sold on behalf of individuals. They specialise in well-made men's clothing, footwear, and accessories from authentic brands, particularly Japanese, American and European. Their focus is product that holds a genuine resale value, brands that are defined by quality rather than marketing budget. They are driven by the knowledge of how much great product is sat in people’s homes being unused, ready for use by another consumer. Shopping and selling with Marrkt promotes sustainability by reusing what's already been made. They sold over 10,000 items of pre-owned clothing in 2021 and they aim to double that in 2022.

In a recent episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interviewed Lewis Hull, Founder of MARRKT about his menswear background and the founding story of the York-based men's consignment website which sells pre-owned and deadstock clothing. Our host Peter Brooker and Lewis talked about how the business launch was funded, pitching to investors, future growth plans, why they focus on true quality brands over designer labels, the preconceptions of buying second-hand clothing, valuing rare garments, and their first pop-up shop on Savile Row with Permanent Style.

“We have a warehouse here that we purpose built about four years ago. I've been in menswear for the last 15 years, and my first foray into it was looking at distribution of hard-to-find brands. And then in 2017, that was when we switch towards the pre-owned map. The business has always been entirely self-funded. We've got seven employees and it operates in the real world, where it's obliged to make and reinvest its profits to pay the wages, rent, and give everybody a livelihood. However, this year we are seeking investment partners to help us realise our growth ambitions. When I started the business, it was turning over £300,000, and then by the end of 2020, we doubled that to £650,000. Then last year we doubled it again to 1.2 million, so it's growing fast. We recognised some time ago that we were focused on genuine quality items, we don't sell a lot of stuff where the value is based on a logo. Instead, we focus on products with genuine quality, and an inherent value that can be passed on. So, by focusing on that, I also recognised that selling items privately on eBay or Depop, works for some people, but many people find it a bit of a headache. So that's where we come in. They send us their items and we photograph them, list them, dispatch them and handle returns; all aspects of a of an eCommerce Store.”

This is a shortened transcribed edit of episode 157 of the MenswearStyle Podcast with Lewis Hull, Founder of marrkt.com. You can listen to the full version below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast player.

We discuss Pre-Owned Clothing, Resale Websites, High Quality Brands, and Consignment Stores with Lewis Hull from MARRKT.