Moxie Jean’s Maternity Resale Targets Price-Conscious Moms
Featured on the Chicago Tribune
Moxie Jean, a popular online reseller of gently used children’s clothes, has expanded into another fashion segment that quickly wears out its welcome: maternity clothing.
Moxie Jean’s maternity shop, which launched last month, sells second-hand and overstock maternity wear, some from pricey high-end brands, at 50 to 75 percent off the suggested retail price.
“It has all the same characteristics as kids’ clothes: you grow out of it — or, hopefully, grow under it — and you hate to spend money on it,” said founder Sharon Schneider, a mom-of-three who founded Arlington Heights-based Moxie Jean three years ago.
Moxie Jean, which has 50,000 listings for baby and kids’ clothes, so far has about 2,000 listings for maternity apparel, Schneider said.
Among them are a $99.99 dress from Isabella Oliver (retail: $215), a $34.99 cardigan from JoJo Maman Bebe (retail: $75), and $17.99 trousers from Gap Maternity (retail: $49).
While many of the offerings are from mainstream brands such as Motherhood, Pea in the Pod and Liz Lange, Schneider said she is particularly excited about making workwear from upscale designers such as Isabella Oliver and Seraphine, worn by Kate Middleton during her pregnancies, accessible to people without duchess-worthy budgets.
“Not everyone wears designer maternity, but now they can,” Schneider said. Much of the designer stock is new with tags, having come from a wholesaler with leftover merchandise, she said.
Maternity clothing sales have struggled in recent years after taking a big hit during the recession, when families cut costs and put baby making on hold. Revenues were $2.4 billion last year after growing at a sluggish 0.7 percent annual rate over the previous five years, according to market research firm IBISWorld. Sales are expected to pick up in the coming years as the birth rate and disposable income rise, the firm said.
Some specialty maternity stores have closed as moms-to-be, opting for lower-priced alternatives, directed their business to mass merchants, online shops or second-hand sellers, IBISWorld said.
In Chicago, Belly Dance in Bucktown closed this year after 13 years in business. Owner Jennifer Strom Simonte said there were several reasons, including surging property taxes on the Damen Avenue shopping corridor as her fellow indie boutique neighbors left and were replaced by national and international retailers
But Simonte, who also closed her New York and online shops, said the general climate around maternitywear has shifted as women opt to borrow from friends and take pride in not spending a lot of money on such a temporary wardrobe. Many of her vendors went out of business in recent years, she said.
“They’re all trends that make the environment different than when we opened,” Strom Simonte said.
Schneider said maternity designers, conscious of shoppers’ price consciousness, are creating maternity clothes that can be worn before and after pregnancy to make them useful for as long as possible. Some designer maternity clothes — which have trended to styles that show off bumps rather than hide them — have nursing features to keep them relevant for months after childbirth, she said.
Dresses are the most popular maternity items, as they continue to be wearable as bodies shrink, said Amy Tara Koch, a Chicago-based journalist and author of the maternity style book “Bump it Up.” Despite the hefty price tag, premium maternity jeans also continue to be big business because “you live in them,” she said.
Women largely buy maternity clothes online, which is flush with stylish offerings from designers and fast-fashion brands like Topshop, Koch said. The maternity boutiques that remain in Chicago, such as Kickin’ in Roscoe Village and Preggers Maternity at the 900 N. Michigan Avenue shops, have thrived by hosting events with parenting groups to get moms together, she said.
Second-hand is an excellent option, Koch said, though she noted that some women have qualms about wearing used clothing from strangers and may be particularly squeamish about it during pregnancy.
But Schneider said she’s never known that to be a problem at her shop, which steams everything that isn’t new to freshen it up.
“This isn’t a thrift store,” she said. “This is like a neighborhood boutique.”
Schneider, who declined to disclose the company’s revenue, said sales have grown 50 percent each year since she launched the business in 2012. It is not yet profitable, she said.
Moxie Jean, an online-only operation, offers free returns and free shipping on transactions over $50. It operates out of an 8,000-square-foot “studio” in Arlington Heights and employs 20 people — most are moms working part time — to do intake, bundling, photography and pack-and-ship, Schneider said.
The maternity business has dovetailed with the kids section. About half of Moxie Jean’s customers who buy maternity also buy kids clothes, and most of the sellers who sent in their maternity clothes also sent in kids clothes, Schneider said.
“It’s our same customer, just a few months earlier,” Schneider said.
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