I started going to Designer Exchange in London 12 or 13 years ago when I was there on business. I’d always make a trip to the little shop down a side street, Egerton Terrace just off the intersection with the Brompton Road.

It was probably my favourite shop in London in the beginning. A place you find the most amazing stuff for incredible deals.

I shopped mainly and later occasionally traded things I didn’t get my use from or purchased on impulse.

It’s a brand I’ve had a relationship with, I am on their mailing list and have visited the Bicester village shop when it opened, was sad when it closed and when eating out on Colman Row in Birmingham, there are some great restaurants, I like the Alchemist, I am also drawn down The Great Western Arcade for a nosey in this lovely shop.

The Victorian arcade is beautiful and worth a look even for anyone who is not looking for a designer purse or bag.

What’s interesting for me is how the business has changed. The prices have skyrocketed for a start and the stock has dwindled. I remember a time when I’d go and there would literally be 20-30 Chanel’s, Hermes Birkins, Lady Diors, now it’s more a handful of the premium bags and rather than an experience of wanting everything, it’s gone to struggling to find the one you can’t let get away.

I don’t know if it’s just a difficult market. I am certainly more conscious not to carry a luxury bag everywhere as I would have done 10 years ago. Even my beautician, facial lady told me not to bring an expensive bag to the salon as a couple of her customers had experienced problems in the centre of Birmingham in the middle of the day, targeted not for a phone but a luxury bag.

I truly hope we can get back to enjoying, swapping, buying and trading our luxury designer bags.

I used to love browsing this amazing little shop, even if I didn’t purchase every time I loved making a trip 4-6 times a year.

If you have a luxury designer bag you want to sell, this is a great company to use. They also have a cute section upstairs of a few handpicked luxury clothing items too if you enjoy the tactile experience of old fashioned shopping.

You can of course browse the Designer Exchange Luxury website before visiting the actual shop.

And if you are looking for a wide selection of interesting handpicked beautiful clothes, there’s another less well known site that is not consignment but reminds me of the Designer Exchange when they first started, when they were undiscovered and full of treasure.

Rescuelux is a secret treasure trove and have picked up the slot of being a best kept fashion secret where the stock is extensive and in the most part extremely affordable. They started in Market Harborough in 2022 and will probably end up in Knightsbridge, unless the stock gets raided first.

I support both these businesses because of their commitment to giving back. Designer Exchange has hosted charity fashion shows in conjunction with Oxfam’s secondhand September and donated clothes to Smart Work who help people dress stylishly for interviews. Rescuelux have also helped individuals dressing for interviews through their clothes swap programs and through free life coaching sessions offered by Rescuelux CEO, social entrepreneur and author Shirley Yanez.