Martha Stewart has been named brand ambassador for Fashionphile

Sophia Tsao, chief digital marketing officer of Fashionphile, told WWD: "The brand ambassadorship with Martha Stewart underscores Fashionphile's position as the trusted authority in ultra-luxury resale.

"Known for her impeccable taste, her involvement highlights the enduring quality and excellent investment value of pre-owned luxury pieces, inviting an entirely new audience to experience the benefits of the circular economy."

Martha and her team have been "longtime admirers" of the luxury platform and after the iconic Hermès Birkin 35 bag she carried during her 2004 fraud trial featured in Fashionphile's Assouline Book of Iconic Bags, she has loaned the accessory to the company.

She said: "It's a beautiful brown special leather bag. I carried [my Birkin] during my trial - mainly because it was my only nice handbag.

"And who knew that it would become a famous symbol of that trial. Now it's on display at Fashionphile [through December]. I loaned it to them for their display with their new book. It's been very interesting to see the interest engendered by handbags."

As part of her partnership, Martha has already curated an exclusive collection of pre-loved holiday acessories, which will be able to shop on 3 November.

And the former Chopped judge has already turned to Fashionphile for her own Christmas shopping.

She said: "[Fashionphile] has such an amazing collection of gorgeous, invaluable stuff - the most beautiful bags.

"I got my granddaughter a Hermès bag, I got her a Chanel bag, I got her a Louis Vuitton bag. She's 14 and she loves bags. Despite the fact that they're expensive, they're so much less than if you went into the stores and bought them there.

"I like things that look brand new. Many of these beautifully made bags look brand new for years. My beautiful, Birkin bag looks brand new, even though we got it in 1999 or something. I like my things to last."