SYDNEY — Levi’s is doubling down on resale via a new tie-in with Depop.
WWD can reveal that the denim-maker is launching a partnership with the Gen Z favorite fashion resale and social media platform. Three Depop creators in the Australian and New Zealand market will offer customized Levi’s Authorized Vintage 501 jeans and Trucker jackets in their stores.
Starting Nov. 10, a limited-edition run of customized vintage Levi’s product in a wide range of sizes will be available from the Depop stores of Tanzyn Crawford, Luca Young and Sha’an D’Anthes, who post under the Depop handles of @premiumzoo, @exxy and @furrylittlepeach, respectively.
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Prices start at 60 Australian dollars, or $45 at current exchange, for a pair of customized 501s by @exxy and @premiumzoo and reach 300 Australian dollars, or $222, for a Trucker jacket customized by @furrylittlepeach. A selection of other Levi’s vintage garments will also be available on their stores.
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The creators were each supplied with up to 30 pieces from the Levi’s Authorized Vintage program — Levi’s proprietary resale capsule which was launched in 2017 and in which the company sources and resells authentic Levi’s products that are at least 30 years old.
The partnership with Depop follows the October 2020 launch of Levi’s SecondHand, a buy-back and resale initiative.
In April, Levi’s launched the global Buy Better, Wear Longer campaign that was fronted by Gen Z activists and influencers including rapper, designer and actor Jaden Smith, YouTuber Emma Chamberlain and footballer Marcus Rashford, who encouraged their peers to reuse, repurpose and reduce their consumer footprint. In Australia, the launch was accompanied by Levi’s latest research on apparel consumption in this market, which revealed that close to one in three (30.1%) Australians own between 50 and 150 pieces of clothing items, with only half (55%) of the clothes owned being worn regularly.
“Australia and New Zealand have a highly progressive consumer and culture in the areas that matter most to Levi’s and a younger generation of people — sustainability, responsibility, equality and empowerment as well as fashion,” said Trent Bos, head of marketing at Levi’s Australia New Zealand, who described the two countries as a “Test and Learn” market for Levi’s globally.
He added, “We want to encourage everyone to buy better and wear longer. Breathing new life into old garments, while remaining timeless and relevant in both fit and style, is just one of the ways that you can contribute to more sustainable fashion. We hope that this partnership can help to spark creativity in all of us to upcycle our clothes currently hanging dormant in our wardrobes and to ultimately help accelerate more sustainable living to create a better world of tomorrow.”
In March, Depop founder Simon Beckerman told the Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Australian Fashion Summit that one in four Australians between ages 15 and 25 use the platform.
Depop’s general manager Australia New Zealand Aria Wigneswaran declined to discuss the current positioning of Australia and New Zealand in Depop’s global markets, citing confidentiality obligations under Depop’s new public parent Etsy, which acquired the platform for $1.625 billion in June.
When Depop launched an Australian office in late 2019, however, the company reported Australia was its third largest marketplace and that Australian sales had grown 90 percent over the previous 12 months.
Said Wigneswaran, “What’s really interesting about Depop is that we’re not just a place to buy and sell — we’ve fostered a community of like-minded creatives, young entrepreneurs and sustainable enthusiasts who are truly transforming the fashion industry. Our community in Australia is driving fashion forward, enabling a more accessible, diverse and creative industry that’s less wasteful through the choices they’re making on Depop.”