Designer Wardrobe Launches AI-Powered Selling To NZ’s Growing Pre-Loved Market

9 September 2025 - Auckland, New Zealand - As Kiwis embrace a more circular shopping economy, Designer Wardrobe, New Zealand’s leading two-way marketplace for pre-loved fashion with over 350,000 members, has launched DW AI List Assist, a new AI-powered feature designed to make listing faster and easier, removing one of the biggest barriers to selling: time.

Resale growth fuelling demand for smarter selling tools

The launch comes as resale growth continues to surge in New Zealand:

• Total sales traded on Designer Wardrobe surged 20 per cent year-on-year, exceeding $4 million in gross sales for both May and June 2025.

Aidan Bartlett, CEO of Designer Wardrobe, says: “Popularity for pre-loved fashion in New Zealand continues to skyrocket, and we’re seeing more people than ever list their items.”

“However, with this growth, expectations also increase – sellers want a simple, seamless experience. That’s exactly what DW AI List Assist aims to deliver.”

AI - making listing faster and easier

In a New Zealand-first for resale marketplaces, DW AI List Assist will allow users to create fully populated listings in seconds, cutting time by up to 90 per cent. Sellers simply upload images from their camera roll, and DW AI List Assist automatically generates the title, description, and key details like brand, category and colour - eliminating much of the manual work otherwise required.

The tool also introduces real-time pricing guidance based on recent sales data from Designer Wardrobe to help remove the guesswork out of listing for sellers.

“Time and effort have always been the biggest barriers holding people back from selling. Now, DW AI List Assist helps change that, offering a better experience for our members. Whether an experienced seller or listing for the first time, we want to make the process faster, more accessible and easy.”

“From our early testing, we’ve seen listing times drop to less than 30 seconds. For many sellers, who typically list around five pieces a month on Designer Wardrobe, what previously took 10 minutes can now be done in minutes - delivering a significant time saving.”

“Pricing too can also be difficult to navigate, especially if you only sell occasionally,” Aidan adds. “Our pricing tool gives sellers confidence that they’re listing at a fair market price, while also giving buyers reassurance they’re getting a good deal.”

Introducing more Kiwis to the circular fashion economy

• According to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), the average person owns around 118 clothing items, with approximately 31 sitting unworn for at least a year, meaning over 25% of wardrobes go unused.

Aidan concludes: “There’s huge untapped potential sitting in people’s wardrobes, and through innovation and technology, we can help unlock it - making it as easy as possible for people to be part of the circular fashion economy.”

“As a business, our focus is to be at the forefront of AI innovation within Australasia’s circular fashion space. By harnessing technology, we can simplify resale for both buyers and sellers, deliver a smarter and more rewarding experience, and scale our marketplace across every part of the business - from seller onboarding and pricing, to product recommendations and customer support.”

For more information about New Zealand’s largest community of pre-loved fashion enthusiasts, please visit www.designerwardrobe.co.nz

Notes:

DW AI List Assist Key Features:

• Camera roll to listing in seconds: Upload photos, and DW AI List Assist builds the full listing.
• AI-powered pricing: Real-time price suggestions based on recent sales.
• Minimal typing required: AI handles titles, descriptions and details.

About Designer Wardrobe

Since its founding in 2014, Designer Wardrobe has experienced unprecedented growth, becoming a major player in the pre-loved fashion industry and forming New Zealand’s largest community of pre-loved fashion enthusiasts. The company's purpose-built New Zealand-made marketplace platform is the go-to for 350,000 users to shop and sell pre-loved clothing and now facilitates around $1.6 million in transactions every month.

Designer Wardrobe champions its customers' needs, regularly launching innovative products, including seller add-ons, AI and an integrated resale widget, to create a seamless shopping and selling experience while promoting sustainability in New Zealand's bustling fashion industry

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