Hype around new creative directors’ hit pieces — from Matthieu Blazy’s pony hair heels for Chanel to Michael Rider’s massive Celine Disc sunglasses — is having a halo effect on the resale market that’s rippling across eras and raising prices on key items. That’s according to Ebay’s latest watchlist report, which goes live today and takes stock of the rising resale trends for Fall/Winter 2026.
The report sheds light on how creative debuts over the past year are impacting what and who people are searching for and selling, and how far the hype is extending beyond current collections. Searches for Matthieu Blazy, for instance, jumped 291% when his first Chanel collection hit stores. At the same time, listings for Karl Lagerfeld-era Chanel rose 87% year-on-year. Searches for Demna rose 42% following his first Gucci runway show, while listings for Tom Ford-era Gucci increased 49% year-on-year, reflecting how users capitalize on current interest to sell past collections.
It follows the trend of pieces from defining designer eras increasingly entering circulation on Ebay, from Demna’s Balenciaga (up 204% year-on-year) to Phoebe Philo’s Chloé (up 165%). At Dior, meanwhile, searches for Jonathan Anderson rose 92% following his first couture show. Average sales prices for John Galliano-era Dior, meanwhile, increased 81% in the same period. It’s a shift reflected across the resale market.
Blazy’s appointment drove searches for the designer up
Blazy’s appointment drove searches for the designer up 10,976% on The RealReal, according to The RealReal’s 2026 resale report, released in August, reflecting the impact current brand heat can have on its past collections circulating in the secondhand market. On Ebay, Chanel didn’t rank among the top-purchased luxury brands from 2022 to 2024. In 2025, it snagged fifth place, and in 2026, it jumped to third, trailing Louis Vuitton and Gucci (which have held the top two spots since 2022).
“When someone new takes the helm, they’re not necessarily reinventing the wheel but very often revisiting the codes, silhouettes and references that made the house interesting in the first place,” says stylist Brie Welch, who worked on the report as Ebay’s resident stylist. “Seeing a brand reinterpreted through a new creative lens naturally sparks curiosity about its past collections.”
It’s a sign of where consumers are at.
Shoppers are following brands and their runway shows closely — evidenced by their inclination towards ultra-specific fashion search terms and the impact of a debut show on searches, listings, and sales. That consumers are turning to secondhand marketplaces like Ebay is indicative of shoppers’ desires to tap into current trends while finding better value. It’s reflective of trends in the primary marketplace: spending isn’t expected to dip, but consumers are placing greater emphasis on perceived value.
If shoppers determine that this is better
If shoppers determine that this is better in the secondary marketplace than the primary, brands ought to pay attention. Market demand
Galliano’s Dior isn’t the only category seeing a price hike. Cultural heat has driven luxury secondhand prices up across the board, per Ebay’s findings. However, the fact that luxury prices continue to tick up has likely also played a role in the spike.
Still, Kirsty Keoghan, Ebay’s general manager of EU fashion and luxury, credits many of the price increases (measured for this report from January to September 2026) to celebrity sightings. The Row’s Margaux Bag, for instance, continues to climb in price, up 137% year-on-year. Celebs including Zoë Kravitz and Kendall Jenner sported the bag during this timeframe. Demand for Gucci’s Giglio tote, carried by Dakota Johnson and Suki Waterhouse, was up 103%.
“There is an intentionality about owning something with cultural relevance, longevity, and a sense of value,” Keoghan says, noting that shopping for secondhand designer fashion has become more culturally responsive. This ties into the return of the It-bag, as shoppers look for styles they’re seeing blow up in culture. Global listings for Balenciaga’s Le City bag, which is having yet another resurgence, are up 936%.
(Who could forget Sienna Miller getting papped
(Who could forget Sienna Miller getting papped in a denim mini skirt with her red city bag slung over her shoulder back in 2004? Now, the bag — which had its 25th anniversary on Monday — is on the arm of everyone from Harris Dickinson to Bella Hadid.) The Loewe Amazona 180 (up 440%), the Valentino Garavani VLogo Bag (up 358%), and the Bottega Veneta Veneta Bag (up 158%) are also seeing surges in listings, which Welch puts down to celeb style mainstays such as Kravitz and Jacob Elordi getting papped wearing and styling such bags.
Current trends, past collections
Current runway trends are also feeding back into secondhand market purchases, as consumers seek to tap into what’s trending now still high — which isn’t necessarily putting a dent on spending — opting for a pre-loved item when making a purchase as a style choice can feel like a safer bet versus a brand-new splurge, even as resale prices hike with demand, Keoghan says
“We are seeing how quickly a new runway moment can evoke an interest for shoppers in a brand’s archive, sending them in search of special pieces with a story,” Keoghan says. Prada skirts were a breakout trend not just in fashion discourse. Seemingly inspired by the show, shoppers turned to the secondhand market toow on September 22 in Milan
Global searches for Prada skirt spiked more than
Global searches for “Prada skirt” spiked more than 360% compared to the beginning of September, reflecting a runway-inspired uptick. “Suddenly, you’re looking at a sort of dated silhouette differently,” Welch says, noting that consumers are finding success looking at the secondhand marketplace for A-line skirts that exist in the market. “You can find an earlier version of the idea, sometimes at a more accessible price point, and make it your own.”
This season’s emphasis on shoes was also a search booster for resale.
On Ebay, Chanel — which has had a heavy rotation of slingbacks on recent runways — seemed to have the biggest impact once again. Searches for slingbacks are up over 65% versus the start as fashion month, and searches for Chanel slingbacks are up 50%. “People are shopping with a sharper point of view; they want to be part of the conversation, and they are shopping pre-loved to achieve that,” Keoghan says.
Source: www.vogue.com
