Childrenswear resale platform Dotte closes its doors

The childrenswear resale marketplace Dotte has announced its decision to shutter its business after the “current climate” made it “impossible” to continue.

The peer-to-peer platform was launched nearly three years ago by co-founders Samantha Valentine and Louise Weiss, who established the concept due to personal frustration with “the lack of options” when it came to reselling their kids’ clothing.

Ultimately, their goal was to make parents’ lives easier while having a positive impact on the planet, a mission that was seemingly achieved by their ability to rehome over 4,000 kilograms of kidswear, as noted in the company’s final Instagram post.

As part of Dotte’s operations, the UK-based firm established a collective consisting of leading childrenswear retailers, including the likes of Marks & Spencer and Clarks, which each agreed to provide benefits to those reselling their products via the platform.

In April 2022, the company further announced the closing of a successful crowdfunding campaign that ended up being over 117 percent overfunded.

The idea behind the initiative was to get the Dotte community involved in the business, while opening up additional equity to meet demand.

Despite the string of partnerships, the 27,000 strong community, the crowdfunding campaign and the launch of its own app in November, both Weiss and Valentine have now decided to close up shop.

In the social media post, the duo said: “With a heavy heart, we have made the difficult decision to close our marketplace.

“We have explored every available option to keep Dotte alive and thriving, but in the current climate it is sadly impossible for us to continue.”