My Business: How this British expat in Dubai is making pre-loved fashion more sustainable

Dubai: The clothes were still wearable. They simply were not being worn. For Jessica Coote, that was the problem.

After moving to Dubai in 2024, the British expat has found herself with a wardrobe full of clothes she no longer used. But selling them has been another story. The process has been time-consuming, frustrating, and involved more effort than she wanted to put in.

She has started looking for a simple service where she could hand over her clothes and have someone else manage the selling process from beginning to end. However, she could not find what she was looking for. So she built it.

Coote is the founder and CEO of Closet Concierge, a UAE-based pre-loved fashion and consignment business that aims to make selling unwanted clothes easier while encouraging more people to consider pre-loved fashion.

“I decided to build the service that I wished existed,” Coote told Gulf News.

The idea has been rooted in Coote's own experience, but she soon realised it was a problem that could apply to many people.

Wardrobes can become filled with clothes that are rarely or never worn, even though the pieces may still have plenty of life left in them. Coote has seen an opportunity to make the process of giving those clothes a new home simpler.

Rather than asking people to photograph their clothes, create listings, and manage individual sales themselves, Closet Concierge has been designed to handle the process.

“What started as an idea became something I built myself from the ground up. I wanted to create something that made the whole experience easier for both sides, giving people a convenient way to clear out their wardrobes while making pre-loved fashion feel more accessible and appealing to shoppers,” explained Coote.

For Coote, resale has been more than just finding cheaper clothes. Her vision is to make it a normal part of the fashion-shopping journey in the Emirates.

“I want it to be more than simply a place to buy and sell second-hand clothes. I see it becoming a platform that makes the entire lifecycle of a wardrobe easier, from selling and shopping to donating and finding new homes for pieces that would otherwise be left unused,” shared Coote.

She has noted that Dubai felt like the right place to launch the business because of the city's fashion-conscious population and strong shopping culture.

There has also been a constant turnover of trends, creating an opportunity for clothes to move from one wardrobe to another. At the same time, Coote has noticed growing awareness around sustainability.

“I felt that there was a genuine gap in the market. Resale is well established in many other markets, but I felt there was an opportunity to create a service specifically designed around the way people live and shop in the UAE.”

Moreover, Coote has described the UAE as a supportive environment for entrepreneurs.

“There is a strong entrepreneurial community here and I’ve found that people are generally very open to collaboration and new ideas.”

When she started the business, she has received significant support from other small, female-led businesses in the country.

Running an e-commerce business has been a new territory for Coote. She did not have a background in building an online retail business and had to learn areas including Shopify, SEO, marketing, social media, operations, and logistics along the way.

Not every idea worked. Some marketing initiatives, processes, and strategies had to be changed or abandoned. But those setbacks have become lessons.

“The biggest lesson has been not to take failure personally. If something doesn’t work out, I need to figure out a different way to get the result I'm looking for,” exclaimed Coote.

That approach has helped her navigate the uncertainty that comes with building a business from scratch.

Closet Concierge has been self-funded since its launch. For Coote, that has meant carefully considering where money is spent and reinvesting in areas she believes will help the business grow.

It has also meant taking a gradual approach rather than attempting to scale too quickly. Being self-funded has made her more conscious of each decision, while allowing her to maintain control over the direction of the company.

Although her family is business-minded, they have worked in different industries and countries. Much of her own experience has therefore come from teaching herself.

“I’ve had to be comfortable asking questions, researching things I don’t understand, and learning through trial and error. There is so much information available now that I think you can teach yourself a lot if you are willing to put the work in,” stated Coote.

According to Coote, one of the biggest successes has been seeing Closet Concierge develop from an idea into a functioning business with an active community of buyers and sellers. A particularly important moment has come when she hosted the company's first birthday event.

It has given her the opportunity to meet customers face-to-face and hear what they thought about the service.

“When you start a business yourself, there are so many moments where you question whether the idea will actually work,” described Coote.

Seeing people trust Closet Concierge with their clothes, buy from the business, and return has been particularly rewarding.

“Knowing that we have created something that people genuinely find useful and enjoy being part of has probably been the most fulfilling part of the journey so far.” 

Behind the business has been a personal gamble. Coote has eventually left her 9-to-5 job to pursue Closet Concierge full-time. It has been a decision that followed a great deal of deliberation.

There have been moments when she has questioned whether the decision was worth it, especially during stressful periods. But she has reminded herself of the bigger picture to help her maintain perspective.

She believed the business could go far and benefit many people, and that belief has helped her take the leap.

“If you’re scared to do it, it’s probably the best time to do it. It’s completely normal to feel scared, but honestly, you never will be fully ready. As long as you’re passionate, driven, and willing to put the work in, I believe you can be successful,” advised Coote.

She has warned against comparing oneself with others, particularly on social media.

“People rarely post their failures or the difficult moments, so you’re often comparing your reality to someone else’s highlight reel.”

Meanwhile, Coote's ambition for Closet Concierge is to become a leading destination for pre-loved fashion in the country before expanding into other markets.

But the immediate goal is to change the way people think about the clothes already in their wardrobes. A piece that no longer works for one person does not necessarily have to become unwanted. It may simply need a new owner.

That idea was enough for Coote to leave her job, build a business from scratch, and bet on a different way of shopping. And for a city known for its love of fashion and new trends, she believes there is always room for the second life of clothes.