With luxury fashion relying on limited distribution, it can be difficult to find the pieces you’ve set your eyes on. Luckily, personal shoppers are here to do the sleuthing for you.
With life starting to pick up again after the pandemic, customers find that they don’t have enough time to search for the rare luxury goods that they’re longing for.
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This is where personal shoppers—or sourcers—come in. Gab Waller, a sourcer based in Los Angeles, can find items that are seemingly nowhere to be found.
“She has her ways,” says one of Waller’s clients, Monika Bolkun. The personal shopper managed to find the pair of Bottega Veneta earrings that Bolkun was looking for, with a finder’s fee of $200.
Highly coveted luxury items are often difficult to find on your own, even with braving the long lines outside physical stores.
Influencer Adabelle Buntrock commented that she didn’t like the customer service she experienced in her local Chanel store. This is why she enlisted the help of Florida-based sourcer Ilana Rogers.
“The stores only go the extra mile for their top customers,” Buntrock says. Rogers was able to find the earmuffs her client wanted at a different Chanel boutique, with a $100 fee per item (and an additional 10% for pricier goods).
The secret in becoming a successful sourcer lies heavily on relationships and connections. Merav Abeckaser, a sourcer based in Brooklyn, says she often flies to California to find pieces for clients who live in more remote locations. She describes the sales associates in the boutiques she frequents as family.
Having the help of personal shoppers also makes life easier for clients who prefer to do their shopping online.
Local celebrities like Heart Evangelista and Marian Rivera-Dantes often rely on their service to purchase luxury items.
Joy’s Closet, an Australia-based personal shopper, says that “All of Heart’s Yeezys are from me.” She shares that Heart also gets Chanel accessories from her, adding that the actress influences others to buy the clothes and accessories she posts on social media.
Meanwhile, Luxe Shopping NL shares that Rivera-Dantes has placed plenty of orders for jewelry, especially Van Cleef & Arpels.
Another Brooklyn-based sourcer, Jennifer Nisan, says that her job has been more cutthroat in recent years, perhaps due to the rise of influencers and online shopping.
“Getting a Louis Vuitton bathing suit is like getting a Rolex,” she says. “It has become such a nightmare to find.”
Banner photo via Pexels by Nataliya Vaitkevich.
