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For the first time since its launch in 2011, the secondhand marketplace Depop has released a consumer-facing Trend Report, which looks at both the trends that defined 2023 and those it predicts will shape 2024. The report pulled data from the platform’s 30 million registered users to gauge the power of trends from Barbiecore to ballet flats — both of which are set to hold strong in the new year.
“At Depop, we’re in a unique position to understand the younger generation, with the majority of our users being under 26,” a Depop spokesperson shared with Glossy. Depop declined to share its annual revenue but said that its community has earned over $2.5 billion to date and that its sellers generated $552.1 million in gross merchandise sales in 2022.
Depop’s trends spokesperson, Agus Panzoni, translates Depop trends for its sellers and shoppers, including on social media — she has 106,000 followers on Instagram and 287,000 on TikTok. Of the report, which she wrote, she said, “[It will be] the North Star for Depop, guiding both seller communication and the curation of the app next year.” In 2024, Panzoni will identify four additional trends quarterly.
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According to Panzoni, 2023 fashion focused largely on “escapism, escapism, escapism,” with customers shopping for looks to wear to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour, and the “Barbie” and “The Little Mermaid” movies. “Fandom, specifically, brought escapism to life,” she said. “People had costumes within those experiences.” For its part, “The Little Mermaid” drove up searches of “aquascape,” referring to a “mermaidcore” aesthetic, by 71% on Depop. This comprises items like platform flip-flops, pirate boots and glass-blown pendants.
It wasn’t only through the cultural zeitgeist that fashion lovers escaped — they also did so by looking to the past. Eight million listings on the platform referenced “Y2K” this year. Panzoni also cited girlhood as an example of nostalgic escapism, pointing to popular styles such as ribbons and lace.
As for 2024, Panzoni and Depop have named the theme of the year “Dual Reality,” which Panzoni described as a “blend of irony and sincerity.”
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“Formal wear is reinterpreted with a touch of nonchalance, romance sobers up, intellectualism provokes, and performance becomes performative,” she wrote in the Trend Report.
The report introduces four key trends as ones to watch in the new year: “Sleaze Academia,” “Lazy Luxe,” “Post Romance” and “Sports Quest.” Depop referenced content co-created on its Instagram account (709,000 followers) and Panzoni’s to introduce these trends in the report, published on Depop’s newsroom on December 7. It’s also used content from the report in its social media.
“‘Sleaze Academia’ subverts academic uniforms by bringing elements of grunge into [them],” Panzoni said. The look can be achieved with button-up shirts, for which Depop saw a search increase of 112% in 2023; as well as mini skirts (+98%); Americana (+77%); “Wednesday” (+150%); and Margiela Tabis (+150%), the last of which went viral on TikTok in September. Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Coach are all popular brands for getting the look.
“Lazy Luxe” also harkens back to larger cultural themes of the year — this time, to “quiet quitting,” as covered by The New York Times back in August. “The lazy girl is changing what aspiration can look like in the corporate world,” Panzoni said, noting that we can expect to see more relaxed spins on formalwear. Brands offering the look include The Row (+38%), Ugg (+15%), Cos (+245%) and Skims (+121%). Searches for “leather,” “trench coat,” “office/work” and “minimal” all align with this trend.
Meanwhile, “Post Romance” will see the continued popularity of ballet flats, for which searches increased 428% in 2023, alongside brands like Sandy Liang (+169%) and Simone Rocha (+42%). “Girlhood and girl culture are still going to be big, but we’re going to bring these elements of childhood play into uniforms that already exist,” Panzoni said. “We’re seeing florals matched with corporate uniforms and also bows on everything.” Offering the look are brands Vagabond and Doc Martens, as well as mini skirts, ruffles, Mary Janes and Balletcore.
Finally, the “Sports Quest” trend will be a video-game-inspired take on athletic wear, which is gender-neutral but will play out more heavily in menswear. “The trend references how video game dynamics are starting to infiltrate culture in a bigger way,” Panzoni said. Key brands for the look include Adidas, with searches up 67%; Corteiz (+43%); Salomon (+31%) and Arc’Teryx (+20%). Search terms include “sambas,” “jersey,” “baseball hat,” “puffer” and “blokecore,” the last of which is an aesthetic inspired by ’80s and ’90s British football culture.
How to get your dream collab as an influencer? DM and ask for it
Influencer Danielle Eilers (605,000 Instagram followers) was nervous to pitch a collab with Tarte to founder Maureen Kelly, but by sending a simple DM, she wound up bringing her dream to fruition. In an Instagram post, Kelly wrote of Eilers, “She is the true definition of if you set goals, work hard & are kind — your biggest dreams ARE possible. Danielle messaged me earlier this year about doing this collab because she said these two products were missing her makeup routine.” As of December 4, the Danielle x Tarte collab is shoppable on Tarte.com for $39. It features Tarte’s bestselling Tartelette tubing mascara, a dual-ended eyeshadow brush and a custom palette of everyday, wearable eye colors.
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