Clothes Mentor
Clothes Mentor is a U.S. women's resale retailer that buys and resells gently used apparel, shoes, accessories, and handbags at roughly 70% off retail, operating 130+ franchise stores plus an e-commerce site and mobile apps targeting value-conscious and sustainability-minded women shoppers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersMinnetonka, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Clothes Mentor does
Clothes Mentor is a U.S. women's resale retailer, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The company acquires inventory by purchasing gently used women's clothing, shoes, accessories, and handbags directly from consumers for immediate cash payment, then resells those items at approximately 70% off original retail prices. Its assortment spans recognized designer labels (Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Coach, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Brahmin, Lululemon, Nike) across general clothing, NWT (new with tags), Plus Size (sizes 0-26 and 1X-4X), and branded Athletic Wear, supported by a Personal Shopper service, a Sell Service for trade-in, and the Club CM customer loyalty program.
Go-to-market is run as a franchise system of more than 130 independently owned retail locations across the United States, supplemented by an e-commerce storefront and dedicated iOS and Android mobile applications that expose franchise-level inventory digitally. The core technology stack is an e-commerce platform with integrated inventory management across franchise locations and a mobile application for both major platforms. Marketing is conducted through organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube), email newsletters, and editorial blog content.
Revenue mechanics are transaction-based: the franchisor captures value through franchise fees/royalties on store-level resale transactions, while individual franchise stores generate revenue on the spread between direct-consumer acquisition prices and resale prices. Target customer segments are value-conscious women consumers, environmentally conscious consumers seeking circular fashion, and designer/luxury seekers; additional underserved signals point to plus-size and athleisure sub-segments. The company is privately held with no disclosed external investors or parent ownership.
Clothes Mentor firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clothes Mentor
- Legal name
- Clothes Mentor
- Website
- https://clothesmentor.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Clothes Mentor is a U.S. women's resale retailer that buys and resells gently used apparel, shoes, accessories, and handbags at roughly 70% off retail, operating 130+ franchise stores plus an e-commerce site and mobile apps targeting value-conscious and sustainability-minded women shoppers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Clothes Mentor industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Resale Apparel Retail
- NAICS
- Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110)
- SIC
- Retail-Women's Clothing Stores (5621)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Women’s Apparel Retail (CRAAABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination (HSAFABAI)
Keywords
Where Clothes Mentor is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minnetonka
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Clothes Mentor business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Resale - Secondhand Clothing: Clothes Mentor generates revenue by purchasing gently used women's clothing, shoes, accessories, and handbags from customers for immediate cash payment. Items are then resold at approximately 70% off original retail prices. The company operates over 130 franchise locations nationwide and also sells through its e-commerce platform. The business model creates a circular fashion economy while generating margins on the spread between acquisition and resale prices.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | General merchandise - gently used women's fashion |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Clothes Mentor product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Clothes Mentor is a national franchise-based resale retailer that purchases gently used women's clothing, shoes, accessories, and handbags directly from consumers for immediate cash payment and resells these items at approximately 70% off original retail prices. The company operates over 130 independently owned franchise stores across the United States, complemented by an e-commerce website and a mobile application that together offer access to an online catalog of over 25,000 products spanning designer brands and everyday fashion.
Product overview
Clothes Mentor is a Minnesota-based national resale retailer specializing in gently used women's clothing, shoes, accessories, and handbags. The company operates over 130 franchise stores nationwide and offers an online e-commerce platform. Core offerings include pre-owned designer clothing and accessories sold at approximately 70% off original retail prices. The product portfolio includes general clothing, designer handbags, designer shoes, designer accessories, plus-size collections, athletic wear, and NWT (New With Tags) items. Services include a cash-for-items buying program where customers can sell their gently used items, personal shopping assistance, and a loyalty program called Club CM.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gently Used Women's Clothing Pre-owned women's clothing including tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, activewear, and maternity wear in sizes 0-26, sold at a fraction of original retail prices.
- Designer Handbags Curated selection of pre-owned designer handbags including luxury brands such as Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and Brahmin.
- Designer Shoes Pre-owned women's designer footwear including sandals, heels, flats, sneakers, athletic shoes, and boots from brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Stuart Weitzman, and Christian Louboutin.
- Designer Accessories Gently used accessories including jewelry, belts, hats, scarves, sunglasses, watches, and fragrances from designer brands.
- NWT (New With Tags) Collection New with tags items that have never been worn, sold at significant discounts from original retail prices.
- Plus Size Collection Extended size options (1X-4X) including blazers, blouses, dresses, jackets, jeans, leggings, pants, shorts, skirts, and sweaters.
- Athletic Wear Athletic clothing including bras, capris, jackets, leggings, pants, shorts, skirts, and tank tops from brands like Nike, Lululemon, Athleta, and Alo.
- Sell Service (Cash-for-Items) Cash-for-items service where customers can sell their gently used women's clothing, shoes, accessories, and handbags for immediate payment at franchise store locations.
- Personal Shopper Service Assisted shopping service to help customers find specific items or outfits at Clothes Mentor stores.
- Club CM Loyalty Program Customer loyalty program offering exclusive promotions and early access to new arrivals.
Companies that use Clothes Mentor
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Clothes Mentor technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Clothes Mentor partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Clothes Mentor competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The RealReal: Public online marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment, with significant overlap in the designer and luxury categories that anchor Clothes Mentor's assortment. Competes for the same designer-resale customer via a different online-consignment supply model.
- Poshmark: Peer-to-peer social marketplace for buying and selling new and used fashion. Competes with Clothes Mentor in the secondhand women's fashion category, though via an online P2P model rather than a franchise buy-for-cash structure.
- Style Encore: Winmark Corporation franchise brand focused on gently used women's clothing, shoes, and accessories, directly competing with Clothes Mentor in the women's resale franchise category. Operates the same franchise model, similar target customer, and overlapping assortment.
- Buffalo Exchange: U.S. resale chain with company-owned stores that buys, sells, and trades gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories for cash or trade. Direct competitor in the brick-and-mortar secondhand women's fashion space, with similar buy-for-cash supply model.
- Crossroads Trading: U.S. resale chain that buys, sells, and trades gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories for cash or trade credit. Operates with the same direct-cash-buying supply model as Clothes Mentor and serves a similar value-conscious women's fashion customer.
- Once Upon A Child: Winmark Corporation franchise brand specializing in gently used children's and maternity clothing, shoes, toys, and gear. Operates the same franchise-resale business model as Clothes Mentor with the same cash-buying supply mechanism, just serving the children's segment.
- Plato's Closet: Franchise-based resale chain buying and reselling gently used clothing (primarily teen and young adult), with 500+ U.S. locations under the Winmark Corporation system. Operates the same franchise-resale business model as Clothes Mentor, just targeting a different demographic segment.
- Uptown Cheapskate: Franchise resale concept buying and reselling gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories for teens and young adults. Operates the same franchise model and direct-cash-buying supply approach as Clothes Mentor, with overlapping assortment and target customer.
- thredUP: Public, venture-backed online resale platform for women's and children's apparel, processing tens of millions of used items annually. Directly competes with Clothes Mentor for secondhand women's clothing demand, though operating as an online-only model with a managed marketplace supply approach.
Regional players
- My Sister's Closet: Family-owned luxury and contemporary consignment business operating in Arizona, with physical stores and online presence. Comparable to Clothes Mentor in the curated designer and contemporary resale space, though with a regional (Arizona) focus and consignment model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Clothes Mentor social profiles
Digital presenceClothes Mentor financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clothes Mentor leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Clothes Mentor funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clothes Mentor M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clothes Mentor
What does Clothes Mentor do?
Clothes Mentor is a national franchise-based resale retailer that purchases gently used women's clothing, shoes, accessories, and handbags directly from consumers for immediate cash payment and resells these items at approximately 70% off original retail prices. The company operates over 130 independently owned franchise stores across the United States, complemented by an e-commerce website and a mobile application that together offer access to an online catalog of over 25,000 products spanning designer brands and everyday fashion.
Is Clothes Mentor a public or private company?
Clothes Mentor is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Clothes Mentor founded?
Clothes Mentor was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Clothes Mentor based?
Clothes Mentor is headquartered in Minnetonka, United States, in the North America region.
How does Clothes Mentor make money?
One revenue line is on record: retail Resale - Secondhand Clothing.
Who are Clothes Mentor's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The RealReal, Poshmark, Style Encore, Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads Trading, Once Upon A Child, Plato's Closet, Uptown Cheapskate and thredUP. My Sister's Closet is listed as a regional player.
Does Clothes Mentor have an API?
No public API is recorded for Clothes Mentor.
What industry is Clothes Mentor in?
Clothes Mentor's product category is Resale Apparel Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAABAB, Women’s Apparel Retail, with a secondary code of HSAFABAI, Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination. Its NAICS code is 458110 and its SIC code is 5621.