Vintage clothes shopping has been trending for a while, so has online shopping. It was only a matter of time before the two collided and we could continue shopping for more personalised, one-off items… but now from the comfort of our phone. Depop is an online buying-selling app that has taken off in the niche culture of “op-shopping”.
What we choose to wear each day is the initial, most personal decision we make: how will the world perceive us for the next twelve hours until we high-tale it into that oversized tee and trackies. With trends consistently shifting and recycling it can be difficult to find the effervescent you. In the world of fashion today, there’s endless competing elements and questions we’re being asked and forced to ask ourselves.
Is this “fast fashion”? Is this a brand I want to support? Am I wearing these merely because it’s “in” or because it’s “me”? If fashion is on your mind at all, then you care about how society perceives you and *unpopular opinion* that’s ok! Caring about your appearance is a sign of self-respect. Don’t let people try and tell you otherwise.
In this modern, mixed up world it’s about finding our essence. Enter Depop, a digital app where users can buy and sell upcycled vintage items, homemade goodies and a bouquet of one-off delights. Co-founder of PIG Magazine, Simon Beckermann first created Depop back in 2011 as a shopping venue for readers of the magazine wanting to buy products seen in their publication. Beckermann soon realised the app would benefit from a selling function and here is where the enormous shift in “op-shopping” culture began.
The game has transitioned online, as we’ve seen happening with almost every other consumer platform. Buyers searching for a simple way to find lone pieces of recycled clothing specific to their style can now rest easy. After decades of feeling bombarded by retail salespeople and hopelessly lost in the dark, online shopping world, buyers finally have a place to connect with their sellers. They can now ask the simple questions: “what’s the fabric like?”, “does this run small or large?”, “can you send me more photos?”— and all behind the comforting partition of a phone screen.
Those who see themselves as fashion “icons”— whatever’s meant by that term— now feel they’ve entered a hugely popular, yet somehow secretive world. Strangers compliment you on that fly, satin 80’s shirt and you a return a sweet, smiling thank you, knowing all-too-well that they can’t and won’t steal your style. Upon being asked you respond, “Oh this old thing? Depop.” Letting others into this world is a little like inviting them into your club, yet you’ll all be in on it, searching for varied items that scream your individual personality. Vintage hustling is back and better than ever, and we’re here for it.
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