Net-A-Porter teams up with The Seam to offer repair service

Luxury online retail group Yoox Net-A-Porter is launching its first dedicated customer care and repair service in partnership with clothing repairs and alterations service The Seam.

The ‘Repair & Rewear’ scheme will offer clothing alterations and repairs, bespoke customisations, and care and repair for handbags, footwear, and jewellery, as the online luxury retailer looks to encourage its customers to shift towards more sustainable behaviours and reduce wasted items.

The repair service is now live on Net-a-Porter for womenswear customers in the UK, with the retail group adding that it will be extended to its menswear offering Mr Porter and The Outnet by spring 2023.

The collaboration marks The Seam’s first-ever partnership in luxury retail and will leverage its extensive network of local makers across the UK. Net-a-Porter said in the release that The Seam was selected for its “personal approach to care and repair,” as well as the fact it was bringing together a specialised group of makers to serve its customers.

The ‘Repair & Rewear’ is for the UK only, added Net-a-Porter, with customers able to book via the site netaporter.theseam.uk. Most of the services on offer will be completed within seven to 10 days, with an express service “subject to availability”.

Net-a-Porter launches repair service in the UK, with Mr Porter and The Outnet to follow in the spring

Alison Loehnis, ad interim chief executive at Yoox Net-A-Porter, said in a statement: “We believe that beautiful fashion from past seasons can be a building block of our customers’ future wardrobes. Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter and The Outnet are renowned for curating the most exciting luxury fashion and we take pride in offering tips and tools to make these pieces last.

“Our care and repair service, in partnership with The Seam, is designed to ensure that the pieces our customers buy from us can be cherished for years to come.”

Layla Sargent, founder of The Seam, added: “This partnership will enable The Seam and our network of specialist Makers to deliver sustainable solutions to people at scale. We're dedicated to shaping an industry where the experience of fashion isn't just about consuming, but about participating in a culture of care.

“Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter and The Outnet’s adoption of The Seam's technology echoes this intention and demonstrates the business potential of care and repair.”

The launch marks another step in an incremental rollout of circularity-related services at Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter and The Outnet, as the online luxury retail group looks to deepen the relationship between customers and their products. It follows an expansion of its resale offering, which allows customers to sell pre-loved items from key product categories including ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, accessories, and jewellery.

Mr Porter and The Outnet also offer an instant buy-back service for men’s sneakers from pre-approved designers, while Net-a-Porter and The Outnet have a buy-back service on women’s designer handbags. Further market expansion for resale is set to follow during 2023. The group’s resale services are powered by Reflaunt and available in the UK, the US, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, France, and Italy.