A coffee moment with Marlies
Hi Marlies, welcome to the Lepelclub journal. We’re so happy to have you here with us! First things first, can you tell us a little more about yourself?
My name is Marlies, 27 years old, and born and raised in the middle of The Netherlands. I’m the founder of Pepper Luxury Vintage – where we sell vintage designer items from brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and more.
Where is home for you?
I live in a small city in the Netherlands, near to the river and the woods. Since a few weeks we have a puppy, and everytime when I’m walking with him next to the water during sunrise – it feels like home.
What sparked the idea behind starting Pepper Luxury Vintage?
Since I was little, I have always been fascinated by luxury items and their magic. Whether the item was a legacy, or someone had worked extremely hard to afford their first gem - every item had its own story. When I got into my first job in fashion, I bought my first designer bag (the Chloé Nile Bag) with my salary. After a few months, I wanted another bag – but I didn’t want to spend my whole salary on it again, so I started source for vintage bags. A Louis Vuitton Noé was my second bag but immediately sold it again (with a bit profit). That’s where the love for sourcing and selling started.
As the prices of new designer items continue to rise, the quality (unfortunately) is not as it used to be, and the clothing industry is the most polluting on the planet - I believe more than ever in the power of vintage and that every item deserves a second life.
What’s your favorite part of the process of sourcing items?
Everytime when I source bags, I think of the moment when I bought had my first designer bag. It was such a special feeling, and I know that with the bags I source – I bring that feeling to someone else as well. Also, I always call it as I’m in the candy store for women ;)
How do you switch off after a long day at work?
It’s hard to switch off when you have your own business. I work 24/7, and I don’t think that’s bad – especially when you’re in the starting phase of the company. I have big ambitions, so I know I need to invest all my time in that. However, I try to switch off more often when I come home from the office. I take my puppy for a long walk in
the woods of next to the water, with a podcast during sunset. But when I come home, I open my laptop again.. ;)
Do you have a favorite bag you’ve sourced?
That’s a hard question. I launch around 50 items every week, and every week I have a few favorite bags that I actually want to keep myself. My favorite bag that’s now online a Chanel Wallet on Chain, in beautiful dark red lambskin leather with silver hardware. It’s versatile as you can wear it as a clutch, shoulder bag or crossbody.
How do you plan on stirring things up in the future?
Well, I have just had the most difficult months within my business, as I had to rebrand my whole business within 3 months. We got a lawsuit from a big, international company that was about a trademark. My world fell apart and together with my lawyers we chose to rebrand and therefore say goodbye to everything that was Bobbie (read: all packaging material, the IG-handle, domains and all products with our brand on it). It costed me thousands of moneys and a lot of tears. But now, we rebranded to Pepper Luxury Vintage, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m so excited for everything it will bring us and we can’t wait to turn up the heat on vintage luxury!
And as always, our favorite question- how do you take your coffee?
Very boring, but I really love my coffee black. Sometimes when I’m in a mood, a cappuccino with cow-milk (I’m not part of the oat milk elite), haha!
