Depop Is Turning Secondhand Into a Cultural Movement
What if the future of fashion wasn’t about buying more, but about reusing what already exists?
That’s the vision being brought to life by Depop, the peer-to-peer resale platform reshaping how millions of people discover, shop and express personal style — all while reducing fashion’s environmental footprint.
Secondhand fashion has rapidly moved from niche behavior to cultural movement. With the global resale market expected to more than double in the next five years, platforms like Depop are at the forefront of a generational shift away from fast fashion and toward circularity. For Gen Z, shopping secondhand is about more than affordability — it is self-expression, entrepreneurship and climate action all rolled into one.
Depop was founded in 2011 as a hybrid of social media and marketplace, giving users a way to buy and sell clothing through a visually driven, community-led experience. Acquired by Etsy in 2021, Depop has grown into a global hub for curated vintage, upcycled fashion and everyday wardrobe essentials. Unlike traditional resale sites, Depop feels like scrolling a style feed — every listing is part of a personal brand, every seller is a creator, and every purchase supports someone directly.
What sets Depop apart is how it removes friction from secondhand shopping and selling. In-app messaging, mobile-first payments, shipping integrations and intuitive listing tools make it easy for anyone to participate in circular fashion. Whether you are clearing out your closet, discovering rare pieces or launching a micro-business, Depop lowers barriers so secondhand can become second nature.
At its core, Depop is helping rewrite the future of fashion by keeping products in circulation longer. Every purchase represents clothing that avoids landfill. Every sale creates a win for both people and planet. Depop users are contributing to lower emissions, reduced water use and decreased demand for virgin materials — simply by choosing to extend the life of what already exists.
Depop isn’t just enabling conscious consumption — it is fueling a new model of culture, community and climate action. By turning personal style into a circular system that gives back, Depop shows that fashion can be expressive and responsible at the same time.
This is what a new era of fashion looks like — one where creativity and sustainability are not competing priorities, but powerful partners in shaping a better future.