Who hasn’t heard of Depop, the peer-to-peer shopping app that is possibly just as much to blame for the demise of Topshop as Philip Green? Founded in 2011, Depop’s website describes itself as a ”fashion marketplace app” which is ”what transforming fashion looks like.”
Similar to eBay and Instagram but with more emphasis on young, fun fashion accessible to an ”inclusive, diverse, less wasteful global community” (their words), users can start by creating an account, a bit like opening an online shop where clothes are showcased through shared images and videos.
So much more than a shop, it’s a personally curated wardrobe; a way to express your sense of style and importantly, it saves clothes from landfill therefore helping to address environmental concerns close to every teenagers’ heart.
You can receive a constant stream of your favourite vendors’ wares, and also be aware once they post something new. There is an “Explore” section of hand-picked pieces; a ”hottest trends” category which includes T-shirts, miniskirts and sweatshirts. Hashtags are also used here to help make it easier to find what you are looking for.
Although the website was established in Milan in 2011 and currently has an office in London, last year it conquered American teen culture. Top YouTubers like Emma Chamberlain and Marzia Bisognin, as well as Instagram legends like Lottie Moss and Chiara Ferragni, have shops on Depop. It is now being even more popularized because of TikTok and Instagram. The website and application has around 20 million users according to statistics from 2020, and around five million users in United States. According to Depop, up to 90% of users are under the age of 26 and live in 140 different countries.
In its nine years of history, the app has evolved to become more ‘user-friendly’ and intuitive mainly through use of technology for both buyers and sellers. Meanwhile, second hand buying also known as “thrifting” has increased in popularity. This plays into the ongoing drive to make us more sustainable and considerate of the climate crises whilst creating an atmosphere in which anyone can express themselves by their aesthetics and thoughts at an affordable price.
Depop users mostly buy and sell used and vintage clothes. More recently, vendors even create their own ‘brands’ which gives the site an exclusive feel that say, eBay lacks. Depop is not the first of its sort, and is comparable to other collective resale applications such as Poshmark or Thredup, it continues to distinguish itself from competitors by concentrating on a younger market.
Perhaps the true key to Depop’s popularity is that it permits consumers to be completely in control. Being a top retailer on Depop would help you gain exposure on YouTube and Instagram, and now even on Gen Z favourite platform, TikTok. It also has built-in monetization for a potential influencer occupation. Finding a suitable Depop store can be a lifesaver in the sprint to get item discounts and introduce new product lines.
Maria Raga, CEO of Depop, has said that she hopes the podium can encourage a fresh cohort of teenage “tycoons” and that this corporation will do all it can to support them. Recently the corporation boasted it had secured $62 million in funding to develop even further.
Sellers are young women like Bella McFadden, a 25-year-old Los Angeles native known online as ‘Internet Girl’. She has been selling on Depop for three years having first downloaded the app to sell a few pieces from her wardrobe that she no longer wore. She quickly found items at thrift stores that would cater to her target demographic and started selling them as well. McFadden’s Depop ‘shop’ now has over 500,000 fans, and she continues to sell her creations while still running a modelling agency. She has even developed herself as a multi-platform influencer after building a following that includes over 300,000 fans on Instagram and a YouTube channel with over 85,000 subscribers. She uses both platforms to share beauty tutorials, behind-the-scenes looks into her everyday life, and even advertise her clothesline. She also provides business tips, and “vlogs” about thrifting. “I believe that using more sources is a smart thing. It leads to the development of the brand,” says McFadden who considers Depop’s amalgamation of a wired store and a community network to be “significant” because it “allows people to get to know your temperament and try to market you as a brand and an influencer.”
Having a following helps “influence” people and consumers. Having started her shop selling her clothes, and becoming successful at it also inspires others to do the same. Influencers who wish to maintain their influence meanwhile must keep up with new trends and so on.
Depop has become the place that many teens and influencers first see what’s going in fashion. According to Khalid Mahmood Jr., a 19-year-old influencer who operates Depop stock, numerous individuals use the site to discover one-of-a-kind items. “Everyone sells and buys in this neighbourhood,” he reveals. The digital app has even grown into a physical event. Depop LIVE was staged in 2019 in various cities and includes fashion, music, art, design and talks.
As Depop gains momentum, major media companies are now attempting to incorporate shopping into their products in a copycat way. Instagram recently added the “Checkout” tab, allowing users to buy items mentioned in influencers posts straight from the app. To add to that, last fall Pinterest introduced shopping options. In May, Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook could make “passing money to someone as easy as submitting a gif.”
Due to the pandemic with people not being able to visit physical thrift or second hand stores, everything has pivoted to just a click away online. The company image benefits from being seen to save the environment, not waste clothes, and supporting small businesses. In addition, Depop has conducted anti-racism shops to teach its workforces good practice and have made it a priority to showcase black-owned companies and minority vendors. In 2019, they also initiated a significant campaign to spotlight LGBTQIA+ sellers and entrepreneurs in Texas.
It is no wonder other competitors are not too far behind. RealReal, Poshmark, Vinted, Mercari, Shpock, Willhaben, and eBay all are apps that have a single thing in common: they help minimize the usage of fast fashion.
Fast fashion contributes significantly to environmental pollution because of the processing and dyeing of fabrics which generate much waste and release toxins. With consumers caring more about the environment than they ever did people continue to want to know who they’re buying from and where it’s come from.
Whilst many fashion corporations address their ethics or blend their lines with “slow” fashion there remains a large number of consumers who remain faithful to fast fashion…for now. Some are reluctant to buy exclusively from ethical brands because of the higher prices. In the meantime, second-hand or vintage clothing offers an exciting and ethical way to find unique, one of a kind pieces at bargain prices and a platform for budding teenage entrepreneurs.