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As part of our latest campaign The New Order (which explores how the digital revolution is changing the way we live and shop), we’ve brought cult social shopping app Depop to Selfridges. The home of 15 million stylists, designers and vintage sellers, Depop’s users buy and sell the most inspiring and unique items, with new styles going viral months before you see them anywhere else. Both online and in our Women's Designer Studio at Selfridges Oxford Street, London, we'll be hosting different sellers until October, to explore monthly themes and challenge the way we engage with fashion today.

Our brilliant September sellers have stepped aside to make way for this month's fresh (and final) round of creatives. Scroll on to find out who they are...

PART THREE

Fashion is a cornerstone of self-expression, so arguably there’s no greater thrill than finding an item of clothing you know only you will have. This month’s Depop residents agree, and are all about bringing you the most unique vintage pieces that you won’t find anywhere else. 

Depop till you drop

MEET THE SELLERS

@HANDSOMEFREAKS

Ally Blackgrove first started Handsome Freaks as a market stall before opening her Margate store in 2013. She’s since garnered over 40,000 followers, who can’t get enough of her curated selection of vintage pieces – each sourced from LA and Europe.  

How would you describe your shop?
The only criteria I stick to is sourcing classics and future classics. Having said that, I will fine-tune it for the customers I’m targeting in different environments. In the Margate shop, for example, there’s a massive demand for skatewear and streetwear; on Depop, people are looking for bargains, so I sell the more affordable sportswear and trend pieces. For Selfridges, I flew to Italy to source high-end vintage designer pieces of all the stuff I’m vibing off right now, across all platforms, to show a true representation of Handsome Freaks.

How do you set it apart from similar stores on Depop? 
I believe it’s always better to buy second-hand over new, but the way to counteract fast fashion isn’t simply to buy ‘vintage’ clothing as that could be as disposable or as harmful to the planet as sweatshop garbage. At Handsome Freaks, we take a more considered approach. We believe the secret is to only have items in your wardrobe that you absolutely love. Our aim is to be the destination shop for people who share this ethos.

How do you source your pieces? 
I go picking almost every day, splitting my time between LA and Europe. When I’m in LA, for example, I’ll arrive at a flea market as soon as it opens. Then it’s all down to instinct. I’ll follow my gut to the right vendors and adrenalin kicks in – I get to all the good stuff before everyone else! I do this because I want my customers to have a concentrated version of that same experience when they look through our curated rails.


It’s great to be part of a community that’s passionate about the intrinsic value of clothes.

How does Depop promote your individuality and creativity? 
Promoting me to a worldwide audience is a huge help. We ship internationally and sell to plenty of people who can’t get to the physical store. The opportunity to create a collection for Selfridges has been a great experience, and it’s an exciting new platform for me. It’s this sort of thing that makes me feel passionate about my business.

What’s your favourite thing about selling on Depop? 
Depop fits the Handsome Freaks ethos that you should only have things in your wardrobe that you love. It’s not only a platform for businesses; it allows literally anyone to resell things they’re not in love with and buy things they are. It’s great to be part of a community that’s passionate about the intrinsic value of clothes.

What does the Selfridges partnership mean to you? 
I started Handsome Freaks by going to my local charity shop with £20 in my hand to stock a market stall. I’ve gone from that, to flying to LA and Europe every month to stock my bricks-and-mortar store. I didn’t know anyone from Depop or Selfridges, so having someone from Depop just walk into my store by chance and think that we deserved to be a part of the Selfridges partnership makes me feel very proud.

HEY, HANDSOME

Stüssy logo-print T-shirt

@DONMAJORSSTREETWEAR

Billy Branter is behind Bristol store and Depop shop Don Majors, which is all about sourcing affordable vintage clothing.

How would you describe your shop? 
When we opened our store in Bristol eight years ago, our first goal was to bring something a little different to the city – no one else was offering designer vintage and sportswear there at that time.  

How do you set it apart from similar stores on Depop? 
We try to set ourselves apart with a constant supply of pieces that aren’t just one-offs, and are affordable ones at that. We try to keep our prices within the £12-£180 bracket. 

How do you source your pieces? 
We travel around Europe to source most of our pieces and everything is picked individually. We don’t really buy into trends so much. Generally, if we think we would wear it, we grab it! I’ll always feel confident I can sell it that way. 

 

Depop has given our store a serious chance to reach a much wider, more diverse group of customers.

Do you have a certain customer in mind? 
I don’t really have anyone in mind when buying stock. I go and see as many pieces as possible in warehouses or at local markets because the people that come to our store vary so much. 

How does Depop promote your individuality and creativity? 
Depop has given our store a serious chance to reach a much wider, more diverse group of customers. It’s definitely brought a lot more attention to Don Majors and given us a name internationally. 

What does the Selfridges partnership mean to you? 
Working with Selfridges is great for promoting our store. It’s also an opportunity to see how the Selfridges and the London customer reacts to our pieces – it’s going to be interesting!

THIS IS GOING TO BE MAJOR

Moschino newspaper-print denim jacket

Shop Depop 

The Depop Space

 

An IRL version of the app’s digital shopping experience, the Depop Space is located in the Women’s Designer Studio at Selfridges London for the next three months. It showcases three different sellers each week, who will exhibit a curation of key items from their Depop shop – available to buy only at Selfridges. There’s arcade games and a kinetic rail that visitors can control to view the pieces, too – who said shopping for cult collectors’ pieces couldn’t be fun?

Check out who you can shop and when below:

26 September–3 October

@rory
@allen_reji
@oversight

4–9 October

@00sgarms
@betsyjohnson_
@oversight

17–23 October

@emmapops
@ramona-ramona
@handsomefreaks
@jaimus

17–23 October

@jaimus
@fecalmatter

The Depop Space is also a venue for a calendar of super-cool events, including panel discussions and workshops with the app’s leading sellers. Watch this space for all the latest goings on.

Last month, we caught up with two top Depop sellers who believe good style shouldn’t cost the earth...

See part two