Depop, fashion retailer and thrift gentrification

In recent years, vintage clothing has undergone a considerable transformation, becoming a trending theme in the fashion sector as shoppers want to make more sustainable choices when looking for their next outfit.

According to online thrift stores Thredup, we can expect to see the resale market grow much faster than traditional retail, with the secondhand fashion market expected to double the size of fast fashion by 2030.

The global report – conducted by Thredup, with analysis from GlobalData – states that the resale market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail. If it continues to grow at this rate, it should be worth $84 billion by 2030, when fast fashion is estimated to be worth around $40 billion.

With over 12 million posts on Instagram at the time of writing, vintage clothing is becoming increasingly trendy on social media. It also paved the way for a mega-popular revival depop seller, many of them have managed to garner cult status among their young customers, who want to keep up with trends while remaining eco-friendly.

With sustainability now at the forefront of shoppers’ minds more than ever, you’d be forgiven for thinking charity shops would be filled with a new wave of savvy shopaholics. This is not the case, with the majority heading online to find their hidden gems instead.

Aisling Byrne, founder of Nuw . virtual clothing exchange site notified Retail Sheet she has “great love of charity shops” but discovered that the charity shop experience can be very different based on where you live and the size you are looking for.

“Charity shopping tends to be more experiential in cosmopolitan and gentrified cities where frugality is a big part of the culture and is seen as a ‘trend’,” he explains.

“You can often find the best charity stores in more expensive locations that not everyone has access to and as charity stores become more ‘trendy’, prices are increasing, cutting through the previous accessibility that made them compete with high-end brands.”

Byrne adds that another bottleneck is often the lack of size diversity, although this is not just the case with charity stores and often on resale platforms.

“Relying on a single store or multiple brick-and-mortar stores in your area to find enough variety within your size range (especially outside the UK 8-12 range) can be difficult,” he explains.

“Going online can give you a breath of variety that cannot be achieved in a store.”

With the total easing of Covid-19 restrictions across the UK, various Depop sellers have now branched out, launching successful physical pop-up stores across the UK.

Popular sellers like Isabella Vrana, which boasts 164,000 followers on Depop, saw excited shoppers queued for more than three hours on the streets of London to set foot in the shop.

Amy Lee, senior manager of global trends and insights, clothing at Avery Dennison (which provides innovative digital solutions to the fashion industry) explains how this smaller online store has managed to garner such online following and fame.

“In the same way that social media influencers amass large followings, this space has been democratized and accessible to sellers for success through engaging like-minded audiences who are attuned to their tastes and price levels,” said Lee.

“There is an element of trust as well,” he continued.

“Young consumers who care deeply about climate change and the future of the planet may have greater trust in small-scale sellers, whom they can talk to directly, compared to large brands who can feel inaccessible.”

Lee also states that his research reveals that the optimal way to shop is through a mix of online and offline channels. So it’s no surprise that successful Depop sellers are gaining traction with physical pop-up stores, by expanding and enhancing the overall experience.

As heritage retailers look to become more sustainable with fashion rental ventures and regularly announced recycling schemes from the likes of MISS and Harrods, is it possible for them to take advantage of the successful business model of this Depop seller? And if so, how?

“Resale will work for both luxury fashion and mid-market fashion,” said Aisling Byrne.

“This resale trial has shown some success through start-ups such as Stand out work with brands on their resale platform. However, this does not apply to high-street and fast-fashion.”

Byrne explains that mass-market retailers sell clothes at low prices on first purchase, which means it’s not economically feasible for brands to create their own resale platforms.

“The reason is because if you sell an item of clothing for £20 there is too much logistics, labour, environmental impact and associated storage to get the item back, quality controlled and ready for resale.

“Brands rarely resell clothes that have been returned and this gives us some hope that they will do this with clothes that have already been sold and worn.”

However, London-based personal stylist Lindsay Barry says the heritage brand has the potential to work with these sellers in more creative ways, such as creating limited-edition exclusive items to sell on Depop or vintage platforms.

“Collaboration with a top Depop influencer or seller can create a unique opportunity to target a younger audience,” said Barry.

“Alternatively, retailers may look to hosting online sample sales or archive sales to keep excess stock circulating at a lower price point.”

In recent years there have been concerns that Depop has now become gentrified, as what started out as a platform for people to sell unwanted clothes has turned into an app where Depop retailers try to make high profits by capitalizing on trends.

Barry confirmed that “gentrification is slowly creeping into Depop” but explained that “not all sellers are exploiting the trend to profit.”

Because the platform’s model allows anyone to buy and sell, it’s said to be essentially a free-for-all marketplace.

“This might be classified as gentrification, but I don’t believe that Depop salespeople looking to grow their business outside of sourcing and trending sales are always a bad thing. The market stalls at Portobello Market, for example, are run the same way… sellers spend a lot of time looking for items to sell at a profit.

“Depop is simply offering this online selling opportunity to a wider audience. While this was not the platform’s original goal, it may be an evolution of consumer demand.”

Unless Depop can find a slick way to monitor seller account terms and conditions, it will prove very difficult to combat this.

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