Fashion meets sustainability with BONNEE, an app where people swap clothes online, in a time where second-hand shopping is growing and is very much in-style.
BONNEE was co-founded by three Miami women, Vanessa Sanchez (CEO), Maritza Sanchez Schubert (COO), and Meredith Vey (CSO) [pictured above]. They met while working in fundraising at the Perez Art Museum Miami.
The company recently relaunched the app (BONNEE 2.0), available in app stores, to make it more user friendly. “We reached in just over 3,000 downloads and from there we learned a lot about the tech we were using, our community, their expectations, how to build something bigger and better and how to harness what everyone loves about community swap events,” said Vey.
She said the wait list for the redesigned app exceeded 4,000 people. “Our goal, by the end of the summer, is to more than double that in active users,” said Vey. “We believe at BONNEE in access over ownership and that your closet is your currency so the time for swapping is really now.”
The idea for BONNEE originated more than a decade ago between the three co-founders. “We spent lunch every day together and we became great friends and we were always talking about what we want to do – that we want to create something,” Vey said.
The sisters built a sustainability platform for accessories during COVID and Sanchez also worked in marketing and development for Goodwill for several years, where she gained industry knowledge. Vey had previously worked with another partner designing bridal gowns made from natural fabrics that were manufactured in the US. “We were always connected to fashion and we love secondhand and we love swapping so it kind of came from that,” said Vey.
BONNEE officially launched in January of 2024 after winning a Finn Tank pitch competition at Miami Dade College’s Idea Center. Vey and Sanchez are based in Miami, while Sanchez Schubert lives in Valencia, Spain. BONNEE, part of the eMerge Americas startup showcase in 2024, is primarily self-funded aside from $70,000 received as part of the ACT House accelerator program in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“One of our big goals for 2026 is to lay the groundwork for expansion beyond the US,” said Vey, adding that BONNEE was recently accepted into the Lanzadera accelerator in Spain and Portugal.
Users list their clothing, shoes or accessories in the BONNEE app and swap it for something else. With the redesign of the app, users are assigned a virtual coin based on the value of their item. They can use that coin to then acquire an item assigned for the same value. There’s also an option to pay a difference if the value of the item exceeds that of the person’s coin. There is a processing fee of a few dollars, and the person who wants the item pays for shipping.
“Resale in general, buying and selling and second-hand, is really something that has allowed consumers to rethink ownership and they’ve adopted that into their lives,” said Vey. “We believe that swapping is the next evolution in second-hand fashion tech and it really removes the barriers that a lot of consumers face.”
The new app leverages AI via real-time analytics to understand users’ preferences better, has automated payments, shipping notifications and an AI powered search.
“People have so many things in their closets that they either don’t wear or barely wear,” said Vey, “so our main focus is extending the life of a piece of clothing so it stays out of landfills.”
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
- How The Flock is adapting to a changing tech industry
- Plus 1 connects people with plans with those who want to go
- Nation’s first autonomous police vehicle is getting ready for Miami-Dade service
