Laney Zinn loves to collect clothes that she calls “conversation pieces.” Her style is clothes that are a mixture of a grandma and a baby. From shirts with geese and sweatshirts with ducks, Zinn says her art form is finding interesting clothes to put on her body.
“It's just an instant serotonin boost when someone is like, ‘your shirt is crazy or your purse is crazy,’” Zinn said. “It's hard to start a conversation with someone but if they're wearing something totally outrageous, it gives you an in.”
Zinn says she buys most of her clothing from Depop, an online website to sell clothes and items that was founded in 2011, according to Pitchbook. Two years ago, she began selling her own clothes on the site.
“I get really excited when I post something that I really liked but maybe it's not something that's my style anymore and someone else is like 'oh I've been looking for a piece just like this,'” Zinn said. “That's the best. That's kind of what my shop is about. Stuff that I used to love but that now isn't my style.”
Like Zinn, Tahoe Mack has been selling clothes on Depop since 2017. She said she’s been thrifting for a while due to environmentalism.
“I've been thrifting for a really long time and I really love purchasing used clothing,” Mack said. “I think it has a beautiful story to it which makes it really unique and special. When you're able to sell your clothes on a platform like Depop, you're able to share your story. It's super good for the environment so it's a win win.”
Mack sells mostly her own personal clothes but she said she occasionally does sell things that she finds at thrift stores. Mack says her fashion taste changes very quickly but she currently looks to Molly Blutstein (@accidentalinfluencer on Instagram) as inspiration.
“I have a lot of fun,” Mack said. “I wouldn't say that I take [fashion] super seriously, I try to keep reminding myself, is this something that I actually enjoy wearing or is this just something that is trendy right now?”
However, Mack has been selling things online way before Depop. When she was younger she sold dreamcatchers and hand cut stickers. Now she uses Poshmark, Curtsty and Makari but she likes Depop because there’s something special about it.
“A lot of e-commerce sites like Etsy are pretty professional but with Depop you can have a lot of fun with it and post funny photos of you in your outfits,” Mack said. I love that.”
Zinn loves the humanity side that can come from using Depop, a feeling she doesn’t get from some chain clothing stores.
“When I buy something from like Forever 21, I know they don't care about me,” Zinn said. “They shove my shirt in a bag and are like here you go, give us your money. Depop, I see people not just modeling the clothes for the photo but photos of them actually wearing it in their friend group, or pictures of them at prom and they're like selling that prom dress.”
While Zinn loves Depop, she doesn’t agree with people who buy things from thrift stores and resell them for much higher prices.
“Thrifting is supposed to be a way where we are positively helping the environment by not constantly producing clothes and shipping them out and it's a way to reduce, reuse and recycle,” Zinn said. “It makes me really sad that it kind of has a bad rep from people gentrifying it. It's not even thrifting anymore because it's so expensive.”
For Mack, figuring out what to price things took a lot of trial and error. She says she tries to understand her audience and price set.
“You also have to pay yourself either an hourly wage or a flat fee,” Mack said. “From there, not only is paying yourself great, it makes you more empowered to work because you're being compensated.”
However, Depop is not the only platform people use to sell items. For Emily Mayberry, she sells her art, but she uses the platforms of Shopify, Instagram and Twitter. Mayberry sells resin and digital art.
“Throughout the years, art has become an outlet for me to express myself through artistic means and to convey my emotions to others,” Mayberry said. “It's also a way for me to help improve my mental health. I'm constantly exploring different mediums.”
When Mayberry joined the art community on social media, she noticed that a lot of people had websites where they sold their art.
“Immediately I was like okay that would be really cool if I had a website,” Mayberry said. “I linked up with a branding designer and she created my website for me, my branding, my business cards. So that's how I started. After that, I began to grow a following on Instagram and Twitter, so that's mostly where I get my customers and stuff.”
Mayberry said having her own business is fun but can also be stressful to stay active and to constantly put out new items. Mayberry said that resin art takes about three days while digital art can take a week.
“There is a lot of pressure especially with my mental health, it can all feel like a lot and be draining, so I try to take breaks in between, especially when I notice my stress levels are increasing due to school or work,” Mayberry said.
Mayberry says that she also tries to buy online to support other artists
“My walls are full of art from my friends, and I have a bulletin board full of all of the thank you cards and business cards I've gotten from other artists,” Mayberry said. “ I want to support small businesses instead of large corporations like Amazon.”
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