Episode
Episode B.V. is a Netherlands-based vintage and second-hand clothing retailer operating 17 curated stores across 6 European countries. Through production arm Hemera Textiles, it sorts, washes, and repairs globally sourced used clothing to sell to sustainable-fashion consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersHem, Netherlands
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Episode does
Episode B.V. is a Netherlands-headquartered retailer of curated vintage and second-hand clothing, operating 17 own-staffed physical stores across six European countries (Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway). Founded in 2002 and now led by its second-generation family ownership, the company sources used and vintage apparel globally and channels all inventory through a wholly-owned production arm, Hemera Textiles, located in Hem, Netherlands. At Hemera, garments are hand-sorted, washed in green-label certified machines heated by steam generated from electric boilers powered by the company's own solar panels, repaired in an in-house atelier, quality-checked, security-tagged, and distributed to retail locations. The catalog also includes hand-painted silk kimonos and upcycled items produced from used materials.
The business model is direct-to-consumer physical retail with tightly controlled wholesale activity. Episode targets fashion-conscious consumers seeking a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, positioning around authenticity, quality assurance, and 'honest prices' without middleman markups. The company enforces an anti-resale policy limiting purchases to two items per product and instructing staff to refuse transactions suspected of resale, in order to protect retail price integrity for end consumers. A defensive wholesale channel exists via a separate contact ([email protected]), with inquiries funneled outside the main brand. Distribution is exclusively through owned storefronts — there is no e-commerce store or mobile app — supplemented by online gift voucher sales via a partnership with GiftUp in EUR, DKK, and NOK. Operations have no disclosed AI/ML components, no institutional capital, no public listing, and no M&A activity; growth is funded organically through store openings.
Revenue is not publicly disclosed. With 51–100 employees and a lean store footprint, the unit economics combine high store-level SKU velocity with centralized, solar-powered processing that keeps per-unit handling costs low. Recent strategic activity includes a second Brussels store in the Marollen district opening on 30 November, a planned second Oslo store in Q3 2025, the 2020 launch of online gift vouchers, and a 2020 Paris market entry currently constrained by French Sunday trading restrictions.
Episode firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Episode
- Legal name
- Episode b.v.
- Website
- https://episode.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Episode B.V. is a Netherlands-based vintage and second-hand clothing retailer operating 17 curated stores across 6 European countries. Through production arm Hemera Textiles, it sorts, washes, and repairs globally sourced used clothing to sell to sustainable-fashion consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Episode industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Second-hand and Vintage Apparel Retail
- NAICS
- Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (45811)
- SIC
- Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Fashion Resale, Vintage & Pre-owned (CRAAAFAN)
Keywords
Where Episode is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hem
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices17 records
Markets served
Episode business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail sales of second-hand clothing: Direct retail sales of curated, professionally washed and repaired second-hand clothing through physical stores across Europe
- Gift cards/vouchers: Online gift vouchers available in EUR, DKK, and NOK currencies, redeemable in all Episode stores
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Episode product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Episode B.V. sells curated second-hand and vintage clothing and shoes through 17 owned retail stores across 6 European countries. Garments are sourced globally and processed in-house at the Hemera Textiles facility in Hem, Netherlands, where items are hand-sorted, professionally washed in green-label machines heated by solar-powered steam, repaired in the company's atelier, and then shipped to stores. The company also sells gift vouchers (online via GiftUp and in-store) and operates a wholesale second-hand clothing business with strict anti-resale purchase limits.
Product overview
Episode is a second-hand clothing retail company operating as a single unified brand with multiple service offerings. The core business is retail sale of curated vintage and pre-owned clothing and shoes through 17 physical stores across 6 European countries. The product portfolio includes: the main second-hand retail offering, gift card/voucher services (both physical and digital via Giftup integration), a wholesale division, and atelier repair/upcycling services. Supporting operations are handled by Hemera Textiles, the company's production facility that processes incoming clothing through sorting, washing, quality control, and preparation for store delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Second-hand and Vintage Clothing Retail Curated, professionally washed, and repaired second-hand and vintage clothing and shoes sold through 17 owned retail stores across the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, and Norway, targeting sustainability-minded individual consumers seeking an alternative to fast fashion.
- Gift Vouchers / Gift Cards Digital and physical gift vouchers that can be purchased online via the GiftUp-hosted checkout or in Episode stores and redeemed for merchandise at any Episode location across Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany.
- Wholesale Second-hand Clothing Bulk sale of second-hand clothing to commercial wholesale buyers worldwide, subject to a strict policy limiting purchases to two items per product and refusing suspected resellers in order to protect end-consumer pricing.
Companies that use Episode
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Episode technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Episode partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Episode competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sellpy: Secondhand fashion resale service fully owned by H&M Group, combining a digital marketplace with centralized processing; comparable to Episode on the secondhand-plus-processing model, backed by a major incumbent fashion retailer.
- The RealReal: US-listed luxury consignment and resale operator with in-house authentication/processing; comparable to Episode on secondhand retail with vertical processing, though focused on luxury and North America.
Direct peers
- Vinted: European peer-to-peer secondhand fashion marketplace with tens of millions of users; comparable as a direct competitor for secondhand consumer spend, though operating a digital marketplace model rather than curated retail.
- ThredUp: US-listed online thrift and resale operator running owned processing facilities; comparable to Episode on secondhand retail thesis and centralized processing infrastructure, though online-first and US-focused.
- Beyond Retro: UK-founded vintage and secondhand clothing retailer with multiple physical stores across Europe and an in-house sorting/repair operation; directly comparable to Episode on curated vintage retail model and processing-led value proposition.
- Depop: Peer-to-peer secondhand fashion marketplace (owned by Etsy) popular with younger European consumers; competes with Episode for the same sustainable-fashion-conscious customer segment via a digital marketplace.
- Vestiaire Collective: Global C2C luxury and pre-owned fashion resale platform; comparable to Episode on secondhand apparel thesis, though digital-first and higher price-point focused versus Episode's physical-store vintage model.
- Humana People to People: European secondhand clothing retail chain operating owned stores in multiple countries, with centralized sorting and processing; closely comparable to Episode on multi-country physical-store secondhand model.
Others
- Patagonia Worn Wear: Brand-led repair, resale and trade-in program from Patagonia; comparable to Episode on repair/upcycling-led circular apparel model and sustainability positioning, though vertically tied to a single brand.
Regional players
- Geev: France-based peer-to-peer donation and resale app with strong French user base; competes with Episode for French secondhand demand via a digital marketplace rather than physical retail.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Episode social profiles
Digital presenceEpisode financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Episode leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Episode subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Episode funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Episode 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 Episode
What does Episode do?
Episode B.V. sells curated second-hand and vintage clothing and shoes through 17 owned retail stores across 6 European countries. Garments are sourced globally and processed in-house at the Hemera Textiles facility in Hem, Netherlands, where items are hand-sorted, professionally washed in green-label machines heated by solar-powered steam, repaired in the company's atelier, and then shipped to stores. The company also sells gift vouchers (online via GiftUp and in-store) and operates a wholesale second-hand clothing business with strict anti-resale purchase limits.
Is Episode a public or private company?
Episode is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Episode founded?
Episode was founded in 2002. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Episode based?
Episode is headquartered in Hem, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Episode make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Retail sales of second-hand clothing is the primary driver. The others are gift cards/vouchers.
Who are Episode's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sellpy and The RealReal. Direct peers are Vinted, ThredUp, Beyond Retro, Depop, Vestiaire Collective and Humana People to People. Patagonia Worn Wear is listed as an others. Geev is listed as a regional player.
Does Episode have an API?
No public API is recorded for Episode.
What industry is Episode in?
Episode's product category is Second-hand and Vintage Apparel Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAAFAN, Luxury Fashion Resale, Vintage & Pre-owned. Its NAICS code is 459510 and its SIC code is 5600.