“ Vintage Forever 21 RARE leopard print sequin shorts, identical to Charlotte Russe! I’m so tempted to keep it, the price is STOP “, we read in the description of these short films sold on Depop. A TikToker came across this ad on the second-hand site and was outraged by it on Chinese social media, generating more than 3 million views in just 24 hours.
“Guess how much these shorts cost at Forever 21 then and how much they sell for now on Depop”
“ You know how I know people on Depop are going crazy? […] How much do you think these shorts cost? Considering this is a Forever 21 that’s about ten years old? Guess how much Forver 21 cost then and how much it sells for now? asks TikToker Kiana (@kaym0neyyy).
These Forever 21 shorts retail for $298 on Depop. This British equivalent of Vinted, adored by fashionistas in the US and UK, is in fact full of pieces purchased at fast fashion chain stores and resold at high prices. “ How can anyone have the audacity to resell Forever 21 that would have cost about ten dollars at the time for that amount today? » Kiana protests. Her outrage posted on May 14 has already generated more than 3 million views.
Yes, you could almost buy half of a Forever 21 store with $298. And above all, the clothes sold there come from mass production, on which the brand therefore achieves important economies of scale. All this on the shoulders of textile workers, who are overwhelmingly women, and on those of the planet. So to resell shorts produced in such condition for almost $300 as if they were a rare vintage piece is shocking.
Yet another demonstration of the absurdity of fashion, even second-hand, and of the way in which social networks contribute to blurring the boundaries between second-hand and vintage.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
