A day in the life of a curator
While re-launching page five, we collectively decided that we needed a section where we discuss in- depth the behind the scenes at THE FIFTH COLLECTION and we naturally named it: Backstage.
So much happens backstage that we often don’t have the time to share on our social media platforms. It is also difficult to showcase all the nitty-gritty details on such mediums. In this first series of articles, we will be showcasing the curation process, before diving into pricing and authentication. We will probably share more as well - depending on how much you enjoy this series. So, let us know in the comments, ok!
What is a curator?
The definition of a curator according to the Cambridge Dictionary is a person in-charge of a department of a museum or other places where objects of art, science, or from the past are collected. It is also a person who organises and arranges a showing of art or other objects of interest.
In a good-sized art museum, each curator is generally responsible for a single department or collection. For instance European painting, Asian sculpture, Native American art, and so on. Curatorial duties include acquiring new artworks, caring for and repairing objects already owned, discovering frauds and counterfeits, lending artworks to other museums, and mounting exhibitions of everything from Greek sculpture to 20th-century clothing.
As you can see the work of a curator embodies many roles often carried out by only one person.
At THE FIFTH COLLECTION, our curators have to also be part-merchandiser, part-buyer, and part-customer as well. This is because they take care of all our collectors whether they are sellers or buyers.
A curator not only needs to be detail-oriented and thorough but he or she needs to be very informed on new trends, while constantly analysing market response to these trends. A curator will be working closely with the members of the marketing team, photography team as well as the fulfilment team.
But rather than giving you an exhaustive list, how about we dive in to what a typical day of a curator looks like at THE FIFTH COLLECTION.
Curating is as much an individual work as it is a team effort
Firstly, a curator is assigned a collector/seller as soon as the items are picked up by our in-house courier and delivered back to our offices.
As much as possible we try to make sure that you get assigned the same curator each time you send your treasures our way. At times, it might not be possible but don’t you worry, our team of curators work closely with one another. And this is why it is not rare to hear lots of screaming around the office when some very rare treasures land in our offices. Once this is heard, all will gather around the lucky curator to get a glimpse of those treasures.
Once the curator takes ownership of what we call a “batch”, the same curator will take care of it from beginning till the end to create what we call internally a listing.
A listing is a rather long affair that involves lots of different tasks and all of them are equally important. As we never know exactly what we are going to be sent by our sellers, each listing is a different treasure hunt. A curator works on their own listing but that does not mean that they don’t count on each other’s knowledge and expertise as some curators might be more well-versed in certain styles, brands and time periods. The goal here is to gather as much information as possible on each piece that is sent our way to perfectly position it for a successful sale.
“A curator works on their own listing but that does not mean that they don’t count on each other’s knowledge and expertise as some curators might be more well-versed in certain styles, brands and time periods.”
Time to divide and categorise
First things first, the curator will divide the batch roughly between the pieces that can be re-homed and the ones that sadly cannot be re-homed. The reasons for not accepting certain pieces are aplenty, ranging from its condition, the style, the brand, the authenticity, or a mix of all of the above.
We do offer a list of brands that we do not accept. However, this list can change with time. Plus, it is actually pretty difficult to be absolutely exhaustive at all times. It is the experience and knowledge that helps on this and can be hard to explain at times.
For instance, for years we didn’t accept Coach bags as they were not doing very well in terms of sell-out. All of a sudden, the brand positioning and design changed and now we do take them. When it comes to the older model we notice that some will sell while others don’t move. As a result, we do accept Coach bags but will make a distinction between the pieces that we believe can be re-homed and those that can’t. This rule can change at anytime depending on the market appetite.
Each piece that we receive is unique and hence need to be handled one by one. Two of the exact same dress from, let’s say, a brand such as Diane Von Furstenberg, for instance, will have had a different life in different closets and therefore different flaws. Some may have even been altered by the original owner, while the other one is absolutely brand new with tag but has been sleeping in the closet for a long time.
Either way, they both will need to go through the same thorough inspection. Once the curator has established which are the pieces that can be re-homed the serious hard work begins.
“We do offer a list of brands that we do not accept. However, this list can change with time. Plus, it is actually pretty difficult to be absolutely exhaustive at all times. It is the experience and knowledge that helps on this and can be hard to explain at times. ”
Inspection
The curator will literally micro-analyse each piece for any flaws such as scratches, scuffs, discolouration or any other marks (interior and exterior). This will help determine the condition as well as the description that will be attached to the listing. Eventually, the exact detailed description will be available on the site as well.
The curator will also list all the measurement of all the pieces. When it comes to clothes, this is extremely important as we can never be sure if a piece has been altered and hence it is highly recommended to always follow the measurements we provide and not the tag attached.
To the written description, each piece listed will be individually photographed and those images are zoomable as well as we know it can be quite daunting to read (and type) every little detail on it.
Research
Once the basics are covered the curator will then move into research mode to garner more information on the specific piece. The more information we provide to the listing, the more it will facilitate the sell as well as the future appraisal of it. Those information can be from the season, what is the precise name the brand gave that piece, to who was the designer at the helm of the brand at the time.
During those research sessions, a curator will also notice how widely available or not such a piece is, what they were priced for, and if they are even still selling. if yes, the curator will need to know at which price and when did that happen and where. This helps establish the overall feel of the market locally as well as internationally for such an item. Of course, here again experience and fashion market knowledge is key.
Pricing
Pricing in the secondhand luxury fashion market works exactly the same way as in any other markets. It’s all about demand and supply as well as timing and, of course, the appetite of the market for the said piece. At THE FIFTH COLLECTION we also like to say that the proof is in the pudding. So, if such an item is listed at certain price and it is not sold then it is not listed at the right valuation.
A curator needs to constantly re-evaluate the mood of the market in general. The fashion market can be as volatile as the stock market, so the basic economic rules apply and you also need to add to other parameters such as the overall condition of the piece, the colour, the material, the period and the timing. A curator does not dictate the price of the piece, the market does.
Authentication
At the same time, a curator will make notes of different details along the way that will authenticate the piece. It’s a mix of detective work, experience, shared knowledge and in the case of THE FIFTH COLLECTION, Science. We use Entrupy and advance technology using AI to help us on this. Finally, we have a direct access to our seller which makes it easier to clarify provenance. In case of any doubt, the curator will simply not accept the piece.
Communication
Once the full listing is ready, the curator will then communicate with the seller to get their approval on it.
In some case, a seller may want to revise the prices or decide that they do not want to sell the piece anymore. Or, they will highlight points that they think should be in the listing. We like to see ourselves as a fashion broker and hence we work hand in hand with our sellers and are always happy to get even more information coming our way.
With each listing, a curator will improve their knowledge in order to keep striking the perfect balance between a seller and the expectations of a buyer.
Once the listing is approved by the seller, the pieces will get photographed and finally put live on the site.
But it doesn’t stop there. ..
Once pieces from the listing are live on the site, the curator keeps an eye on what is selling, how fast and which destination it is going to in order to continue improving their knowledge for the next listing they will be in charge off.
Curators need to also keep up with what is going on with the item that they have listed on the site. So, if the piece sells, how fast? They also have to analyse why certain pieces things that use to sell fast at a certain prices are no longer selling. Basically, they need to keep a close look at the overall stock to make sure that the sell-in versus the sell-out so that during the curation meetings, they can share their insights on what needs to be phased out or what are the pieces that should be pushed on marketing as they are doing well.
Finally, and we think is most importantly, the whole team - that includes our curators - are available to answer any queries a buyer might have thanks to the chat function available on the site. Hence, it is not rare that a curator will help buyer understand a piece better by providing even more details. And thanks to those questions, the curator will get back to the listing to clarify anything that might have not been cleared in the first place.
So, there you have it - a rather in-depth look at how the curation process work here at THE FIFTH COLLECTION. There are many steps and checks that need to be done, and this is so that we can confidently meet the expectations of both the sellers and the buyers.
If you have other questions for us, don’t hesitate to comment down below. We want to hear from you, so we can answer those questions!