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Two out of five items in the average Gen Z closet are secondhand. But when you ask why, 47% say thrifting is "trendy". Not practical. Not economical. Trendy.
The secondhand apparel market is estimated to be worth $367 billion by 2029, growing 7x faster than traditional retail. This isn't about affordability. It's about what these items represent.
Gen Z don't want mass-produced fast-fashion. They want culturally significant artifacts.
The difference matters. Commodities are interchangeable, mass-produced and anonymous. Artifacts have provenance, history and meaning. When you buy a vintage band tee it's more than just fabric and ink. You're buying the story of who owned it before, where they found it, how they styled it. You're buying identity you can showcase.
No brand has turned this insight into a business model better than Depop. They built a platform where every item becomes a prize worth discovering.
Because Gen Z's real currency isn't dollars. It's cultural capital.
If Millennials tried desperately to fit in, Gen Z tries desperately to stand out. Status comes from being singular. Buying secondhand does three things at once:
79% of Gen Z agree that wearing vintage clothing is trendy. But the status comes from finding the piece and sharing that process, not just wearing it.
That's why "Depop haul" videos get millions of views. Each discovery becomes meaningful because of the story around how it was found, who wore it before and what it represents. The same t-shirt bought brand new is something anyone can access. Found it on Depop? Then it signals you have taste.
Depop has 30 million registered users, 90% of which are Gen Z. But those numbers barely scratch the surface of what they've actually built. According to Tracksuit data, awareness among 18-24 year-olds sits at 57%, with consideration at 47% and preference at 29%. That preference number jumped 18 percentage points year-over-year.