OUR BRAND
About Us
The RealReal is the world’s largest and most trusted resource for authenticated luxury resale, offering an experience that is inclusive and transparent. Our consignors are the heart of our business, and we earn their trust through unparalleled expertise and service. We are committed to our business, our community and our planet, and we’re constantly evolving and innovating to deliver the ultimate luxury experience.
How We Started
CEO Julie Wainwright, a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur, founded the San Francisco-based company out of her home in 2011, with TRR President Rati Levesque at her side. The RealReal started with an epiphany: Julie was shopping with a friend who purchased pre-owned Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton from a local consignment boutique. This was a woman who could afford to pay full retail, and yet she didn’t consider second-hand to be any less appealing than brand new.
Wainwright, a Silicon Valley veteran and creative marketing talent, was inspired. She had a vision for a company that could not be replicated by behemoths like eBay or Amazon with the ultimate goal of expanding the secondary luxury market to both first-time buyers and first-time consignors with authentication as the key. Before long, Rati, who owned the trendy, upscale Anica boutique, was driving up and down the coast of California with a U-Haul, seeking out consignors. With The RealReal, the two created an exciting new marketplace of luxury, totally reinventing the category and the experience for buyer and consignor alike.
TRR by the Numbers
34.4M+
shoppers and counting
35.9M+
items sold
3.8B+
paid in commission
73,207
metric tons of carbon saved*
3.9B+
liters of water saved*
80+
brand partnerships
12
retail locations
100s
of experts and authenticators
12
years of redefining luxury resale
In the Press
“[...] [Stella] McCartney became an official partner of The RealReal last year […] ‘It’s the biggest compliment for your product to have an afterlife—to me, that’s luxury.’”
— VOGUE
“Industry insiders, like Ms. Wainwright, are adamant that resale sites can coexist peacefully with luxury brands, and even serve to bolster the luxury market by giving consumers a more affordable entry point to luxury goods [...]”
— THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Julie Wainwright started The RealReal in 2011 because she believed luxury buyers would jump at an easy—and discreet—way to unload last season’s looks, and more mainstream shoppers would be eager to pick them up at a discount.”
— NPR