Depop’s new Depoponomics campaign featuring Kelis positions resale as personal finance, while Vinted’s rise to the U.K.’s third-largest fashion retailer signals a structural shift in secondhand shopping.
Yes, that is Kelis. And yes, she’s bringing all the curated secondhand clothing to the yard.
The 46-year-old Grammy-nominated artist Kelis Rogers, who goes by her first name, is best known for her viral 2003 hit “Milkshake.” She appears in a new national campaign from Depop titled “Depoponomics,” a push to frame resale not as a niche hobby but as a practical personal economy. The spot, directed by Grammy Award-winning music video director Dave Meyers and soundtracked by Kelis’ 2003 single “Millionaire,” lands as resale has become less about thrift-store bragging rights and more about paying for groceries.
According to research conducted by Censuswide for Depop, 77 percent of Americans own fashion items they no longer wear, and 34 percent now combine secondhand with new purchases. More than half, 57 percent, consider resale part of their household financial planning. That shift in mindset is the foundation of the campaign, which positions personal style as a revenue stream.
“Depoponomics is about meeting people where they are financially and culturally,” Steve Dool, Director of Brand + Creative, said in a statement. “Resale has reinforced the idea that sustainable secondhand shopping is not only imperative for a circular fashion eco-system, but for many consumers, is equally about value, ease, and turning personal taste into income. With no selling fees in the U.S. and a simplified selling experience, Depop removes friction and makes resale work in everyday life.”
Your closet as cash flow
Depop, founded in 2011 and acquired by Etsy in 2021, operates as a standalone company with approximately 56 million registered users globally. It has built its identity around community discovery and seller-first economics, encouraging users to treat their wardrobes less as sunk costs and more as assets with resale value.
Kelis will amplify that message by launching a curated Depop shop featuring pieces she selected, including items worn in the campaign. The drop is supported by short-form video content and runs through May 31 across connected TV, digital video, social platforms, and creator storytelling.
The underlying appeal is straightforward: If most Americans are sitting on unworn clothing, and a majority already view resale as financial strategy, then listing a jacket is less decluttering and more like reallocating capital. For younger consumers especially, the math resonates. Data cited by eBay shows that 59 percent of Gen Z and 56 percent of Millennials in the U.K. plan to increase spending on secondhand goods this year, underscoring how deeply resale is embedded in everyday shopping habits.
Vinted and the structural shift
Across the Atlantic, Vinted offers proof that resale’s financial logic scales. Retail Week recently reported that Vinted is now the third-largest fashion retailer in the U.K., behind Primark and Next. The platform generated €813.4 million in revenue in 2024, a 36 percent increase from €596.3 million the previous year, and posted a net profit of €76.7 million. It is projected to surpass €1 billion in revenue this year.
In France, Vinted ranked as the top clothing retailer by volume in the first quarter of 2025, surpassing Amazon and Kiabi, according to company-reported data. The U.K. remains one of its largest markets, with more than 17.4 million users, while Germany, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Greece, and Ireland represent expanding territory.
Second-hand fashion expert Olivia May, Partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants, framed the company’s ascent in sweeping terms. “Vinted has won the hearts of consumers across Europe – leading against not only other resale platforms but the broader suite of mass market fashion brands on value for money, product relevance, ease of shopping, fun and sustainability,” she said.
May has described Vinted’s rise as “a structural shift in the market,” noting that while resale’s compound annual growth rate in the U.K. reached 28 percent in value from 2019 to 2025, brands entering the space must be strategic. “The brands that have developed profitable second-hand revenue streams (eg Dr Martens, Levi’s, Patagonia) are typically of an upper-mid-market+ pricepoint with sufficient margin buffer and meaningful resale value, have been proactive in adding value in the ‘centre’ of the second hand transaction (refurbishment, resizing, rejuvenating), have created some degree of customer ‘lock in’ to support longer term CLTV growth, and have partnered up and down the value chain to minimise cost and complexity,” May told Retail Week.
For shoppers, though, the takeaway is less about strategy and more about agency. Between Depop’s no-fee selling in the United States and Vinted’s cross-border logistics investments through Vinted Go and Vinted Pay, the friction that once defined secondhand is steadily dissolving. The resale rack is no longer just a side hustle. It is, increasingly, part of the monthly budget.
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