esg is best practised, not preached

How can property developers mimic the success of the luxury fashion resale market?

The luxury fashion resale market is huge. Call it second-hand, pre-owned or pre-loved, resale high-end fashion depends on the appeal of the brand (Hermès or Chanel, Rolex or Patek Philippe), the quality of the commodity (which is intertwined with the brand appeal), the ease of availability of new equivalents and the sustainable preferences of discerning consumers. In fact, second-hand items may fetch more than their brand new equivalents in some instances.

It’s not entirely clear whether luxury resale has been deliberately designed by brands themselves who manufacture scarcity (Hermes Birkin bag), or by a entrepreneurs identifying a gap in the market, or by the choices of environmentally-conscious consumers, or by all three.

It’s ESG writ large without the waffle, without pontificating, without lecturing, and especially - especially- without the sanctimony.

It’s a success story because it’s sexy, not sanctimonious. It's a testament to the fact that ESG is best practised, not preached. Property development can take a leaf out of this book.

The question in property development is: how can ESG, like retrofitting for example, be designed so that it is the more lucrative option, the better return on investment? How can ESG manifest itself in architectural design so that space can seduce consumers to achieve quicker lettings and at a premium in an ever-competitive letting market? If this can be achieved, then retrofitting would become a no-brainer for developers.

The answer most certainly cannot be provided by the current design model.