Bringing together fashion and sustainability: the success of Sample Lover

Over the last few months, our shopping habits have radically changed, binding to a new mentality, which, especially among younger generations, opts for a more sustainable type of fashion, made up of quality items, pieces to invest in and that will stand the test of time. And it's precise during the last year that a sample sales company has decided to change its business, bringing its offer online, on an e-commerce platform that was met with unexpected success. 

Rossana Ammaturo is the mind behind Sample Lover, the integrated online (and offline) platform dedicated to the sample sale of products from emerging brands and small Italian labels. With the digital translation of its service, Ammaturo has chosen to open Sample Lover to a new audience, which was immediately enthusiastic about a reality that, in addition to offering a unique and original selection of brands and products, manages to fight waste, putting on sale what usually remains unsold or disposing of the stock, thus trying to introduce within the fashion industry a model that is as green as possible. Also part of this mindset is the latest project by Sample Lover, a collection, entitled Relove, consisting of second-hand or vintage pieces, a great passion of Rossana. By expanding the concept of zero waste, Sample Lover uniquely combines green soul and fashion attitude. 

nss G-Club reached out to Rossana to get to know better what lies behind the success of Sample Lover.

#1 How was your business idea originally received in the industry? Do you think that being a young female entrepreneur has had a weight in the perception of your project?

I think having to sell a project and have credibility is the first obstacle to face, especially if you're very young. When I decided to launch Sample Lover I was 26 years old, I received many 'no' as an answer, I often tried out different things and often I even made the mistake of underestimating my own work just because I was very young. The important thing is not to be discouraged, to also accept that sometimes you can lose motivation but then start again stronger than before having a lot of self-confidence. Motivation will never come from someone else but only from yourself. 

#2 How do you select the brands that appear on Sample Lover? What are you looking for in the brands you work with? 

The selection of brands on Sample Lover takes place through constant research for realities ranging from fashion to cosmetics, as well as furniture accessories. The first phase of the research certainly takes place on Instagram, through trade magazines and also fairs that are currently only held in digital version, the research is continuous and takes place across different platforms. We choose as our brand partners companies and realities that can share our values, realities that are characterized by a particular creative flair and that are close to our way of communicating. 

#3 How is your audience composed and what are they looking for on your platform?

Our community is mostly made up of women ranging from 20 to 35 years old, they're young women who love to discover new and emerging realities, who love to support small Italian companies, who are certainly looking for a unique style in both clothing and lifestyle. 

#4 The digital shift of your service has met with enormous success from the beginning of the first lockdown to today. Are you thinking of going back to organizing physical sample sales or will the future remain online? 

We don't exclude returning physically when we can, certainly, it could be a nice way to meet all the people of our community. Digital has given us the opportunity to grow and expand our reference markets, it's certainly an opportunity in which we will continue to invest our resources and our time. I don't exclude in the future that the two things can be blended together thus being able to give companies a 360° service and at the same time give our community live unique experiences that best represent us. 

#5 How did the idea for the Relove collection come about? What can we expect for the upcoming drops?

The idea of RELOVE was born from my great passion for second-hand and vintage, I've always loved doing a lot of research for unique and special pieces and that is why I wanted to bring this great passion of mine into Sample Lover. I also believe that with RELOVE we can somewhat close the circle of sustainability that has always been part of the Sample Lover project. In the next drops, there will be lots of news that fully reflect the Sample Lover's style, lots of "goodies" that I'm very proud to have found around, it's definitely certainly the best thing about vintage and second-hand, I'm always surprised every time. 

The Relove collection, as well as the different sample sales, are available on the Sample Lover website.