The Greenwashing of Secondhand Fashion

Secondhand fashion has long been promoted as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, offering an opportunity to shop responsibly while keeping up with current trends. Platforms like Depop, Poshmark, and Thredup, social shopping apps for buying, selling, and discovering vintage and secondhand clothing, have become a favorite for Gen Z consumers. Known for its Instagram-like interface, Depop combines social media and e-commerce, allowing users to follow profiles, like items, and engage with sellers. However, as an active user on Depop for over five years with more than 300 sales, my experiences on the app have revealed a tension between its sustainability claims and its trend-driven culture. The app encourages browsing, impulse buying, and keeping up with microtrends, often overshadowing the original goal of reducing consumption and waste.

With over 35 million registered users worldwide, Depop has grown into a major force in the fashion market. It positions itself as part of a movement toward conscious consumption, yet its culture of trend-chasing often mirrors conventional fast fashion practices. My curiosity about this contradiction led me to ask to what extent secondhand sites like Depop, Poshmark and ThredUp perpetuate microtrends, fast fashion habits, and overconsumption.

Overconsumption remains a problem even in secondhand markets. Consumers often buy in bulk to stay on-trend, and Depop’s social media-like environment amplifies this impulse. Eliana Dockterman for Time Magazine explains, “Trends come and go in fashion, but Depop seems to have recognized what the e-commerce industry as a whole has missed: it’s not just about the clothes, it’s about the experience”. The platform encourages sellers to market items through social media, creating a cycle where consumers make frequent, trend-driven purchases rather than investing in durable, long-lasting pieces.

Quality is another concern. Many items sold on second hand sites are from fast fashion brands known for their poor durability. The Mancunion notes, “84% of all donated clothes end up in landfill”. In my own buying experiences, I have noticed that even items marketed as vintage or rare are often discarded after a few wears because they were purchased primarily to follow fleeting trends.

Gautam Malik, retail owner of Grandeur, a new and secondhand clothing store in Tysons Corner, Virginia reflected on this trend in an interview with me, “We stock new inventory every single day, and I’m always on the lookout for the latest brand in the streetwear community.” The constant restocking and focus on trends highlight how overconsumption continues even in markets that are supposed to champion sustainability.

Microtrends, short-lived, niche fashion crazes, further drive overconsumption. Sellers frequently leverage social media to promote items, pressuring buyers to purchase quickly or risk missing out. This trend-driven shopping diminishes garment longevity and undermines the environmental benefits of secondhand clothing. Vogue Business reports that “Over half of respondents said they buy secondhand ‘to find one-of-a-kind pieces,’ while 45% use it ‘to tap into trends.’ Secondhand may be sustainable—but it’s also cool”.

Sophia Kianni, who is developing a sustainable fashion tech startup called “Phia”, noted in an interview with me, “Platforms like Poshmark make it easy to get the latest trends, which can unfortunately speed up microtrends, something new is always on the horizon, and it’s so easy to just buy, wear, and resell. This can be counter-beneficial toward shopping sustainably, because the low prices and easy online accessibility may push consumers to end up buying more clothes than they need” Her observation illustrates the tension between accessibility and sustainability. While second hand fashion sites democratize fashion, it also accelerates disposable consumer behavior.

Conscious consumption is essential if secondhand fashion is to be genuinely sustainable. Both buyers and sellers must prioritize durability, quality, and mindful purchasing. Simon Beckerman, Depop’s founder, has acknowledged the influence of its community, “The community loves the product so much, they tell all their friends”. This sense of community, if channeled thoughtfully, could promote longevity and sustainable fashion choices instead of trend-chasing and impulse purchases. Sustainable fashion experts emphasize that “the real key to enjoying fashion sustainably may just be to buy less”, highlighting how mindful shopping reduces waste and counters fast fashion behaviors.

Depop has reshaped the secondhand market, creating a vibrant, trend-driven space that appeals to millions. Yet, it also perpetuates overconsumption, encourages microtrends, and accelerates fast fashion cycles. My experiences on the platform, coupled with insights from Sophia Kianni and Gautam Malik, reveal that sustainable shopping requires more than a platform, it requires intentional consumer behavior. True sustainability in fashion will only be achieved if brands and buyers prioritize thoughtful consumption, extending the life of garments and reducing unnecessary waste.

RCC Presidential Fellow – Sabrina Kianni – Harvard Medical School

Sabrina Kianni is a returning RCC Presidential Fellow with a B.S. in Psychology from Duke University. She is at Harvard Medical School, pursuing an M.S. in Media, Medicine, and Health. She is the Co-Founder and Senior Director of Climate Cardinals, the world’s largest youth-led climate nonprofit, which she helped scale to over 10,000 volunteers across 80+ countries.