by Lucy Sokol ’21

In the world full of carbon emissions and oceans full of plastic, fast fashion companies such as Forever 21 or Shein only worsen our earth’s climate emergency. While I do not blame you for buying cute or affordable clothes through fast-fashion, it is important to acknowledge and improve your harmful choices. The fashion industry is the second largest polluter of clean water globally after agriculture and has a larger carbon impact than the airline industry. Buying second hand clothing not only makes high-quality fashion affordable, it helps lessen one’s carbon footprint. 

During a global pandemic, many individuals have substituted in-person thrifting with online shopping. Rather than spending time and money on low-quality, plastic filled apparel, there are fashion marketing websites specifically for pre-loved and upcycled apparel; Depop being one of the most popular worldwide. In 2011, Simon Beckerman launched the “peer-to-peer” social marketing website Depop in the UK. American Millennials and Gen Z-ers soon after hopped onto the trend, giving Depop an even larger name. As of right now, Depop has 15 million users with 70 percent identifying as female. 

As 90 percent of all Depop users are under the age of 26, many young individuals strive for eco-friendly fashion and have the opportunity to make a profit off their interests and clothes that would have ended up in landfill. Although there is no exact statistic proving Depop’s environmental impact, second-hand clothing is a sustainable practice. By choosing not to contribute to fast fashion, consumers are forcing companies to change their harmful practices. The effects are already showing; H&M has not grown since their peak in 2015 and Forever 21 has declared bankruptcy. 

Besides environmental impacts, Depop improves people’s closets with unique and diverse fashion. Thrift stores and other social marketing apps such as Poshmark lack the up-cycling feature Depop has. With up-cycling boutiques, many people find it much easier to express their individuality and unique taste in fashion. Whether it is up-cycling boutiques or resale shops, Depop has given many creative individuals the opportunity to make money and express themselves through their hobbies and interests. Vëma, @spookyworld expresses their punk style with their Depop page. As a young, black, and queer individual they are able to support themselves finacially with Depop as their full-time job. With over 21,000 followers, Depop gave Vëma the opportunity to make their own shop online. 

If you like a specific social media influencer and would like to not only support them but also find similar or the same fashion as them, Depop makes that possible. The social aspect not only supports small businesses, but also lets anyone with a phone or a computer observe culturally diverse fashion.  

Depop’s appeal to the younger generations introduces practices that advocates for a step closer to a cleaner future. As the younger generations are the earth’s future, it is important to pick more environmentally friendly choices such as thrifting and shopping preloved fashion. Small acts, multiplied by millions, do wonders to our communities.