Festival season has officially kicked off around the world and this year, Amex and Depop are taking a new approach to tap into the season’s energetic and epic blend of music and fashion.
Depop – a fashion resale platform that is home to millions of stylists, designers, artists, collectors, vintage sellers, sneakerheads and more, Amex and Depop to curate a festival collection of vintage and pre-loved items.
“Part of the fun of festival season happens when fans are planning and picking their ‘fits and expressing their creativity and individuality through fashion,” said Shiz Suzuki, Vice President of Global Brand Sponsorships and Experiential Marketing at American Express.
“Partnership of Amex and Depop this season is giving festivalgoers curated looks from some of their favorite artists and talent. We’re so excited to kick-off the first collection with Flo Milli and her style inspo ahead of her performance at Coachella.”
The collection will span the full festival season from April through October and will feature limited time “edits” from well-known talent who all share a passion for vintage shopping and circular fashion. Rapper and Coachella performer Flo Milli is the first curator of an Amex x Depop festival edit, which is available now through April 30, 2023.
Milli, who was making her Coachella performance debut as well, said, “American Express and Depop are bringing my personal style to life this festival season and I’m so excited to be part of the first collection. Through both my music and fashion, I always aim to express myself with authenticity and creativity. I can’t wait for Depop users to shop my festival-ready looks, featuring bold, glam pieces with Y2K and grunge influence.”
Below, Peter Semple, Depop’s Chief Marketing Officer, gives insight into how today’s shopper identifies with nostalgia and authenticity, the influence of vintage fashion, and why now has been the right time to team up with Amex.
How does Depop resonate with how Gen Z and millennials are shopping today?
Semple: More than ever, Gen Z and millennials are shopping with intention and spending their money with brands that align with their values. In addition to that, they want to consistently explore fashion, expression, and identity. They want variety, inspiration, and “newness”, but ideally without feeling like they’re over-consuming throwaway fashion. Depop is a great answer to all of these intentions, and also allows for people to sell their current clothes to fund their next purchase. At Depop, we’re fostering a community of entrepreneurs, tastemakers, fashion lovers, casual buyers, and sellers who are all inspiring one another and contributing to this exciting and affordable circular marketplace.
Tell us about the collection Depop has curated with Amex – and how do the two brands working together add to the excitement of festival season?
Semple: This is a really exciting partnership. Amex has long been part of creating incredible festival experiences (many of which I go to every year!), and fashion and music are so closely connected. By working with Amex and the artists for several different festivals, we have the opportunity to curate these edits of circular fashion from our community of sellers: giving people new inspiration as they look to secondhand fashion for their festival outfits.
What are some of the most-searched-for or most-bought festival items you are seeing among the Depop community?
Semple: As we move into festival season, we’re seeing Depop users lean into a “melting pot” of fashion. They are taking inspiration from a multitude of decades, a wide-ranging palette of colors and patterns, and are repurposing articles of clothing for other uses. An awesome example of this is from one of our sellers DutchFonzie, who takes pre-worn and vintage sneakers and turns them into corsets.
At Depop, we are coining this era as “Odyssey Dressing” which represents the mindset of our community right now. More than ever, our users are turning to Depop to explore and create a unique style that is entirely their own. Corsets and miniskirts continue to trend up (in-app searches for corsets are up 52% since the start of the year whereas miniskirts are up 82%), as do colorful crochet and knit pieces (searches for crochet are up 96% since January), wide denim, and bodysuits (up 65% across the last 10 weeks).
What is the platform’s approach to innovating for fashion today, tomorrow and the future?
Semple: First and foremost, with our community as our partners, we are changing the way fashion audiences think about their consumption choices: 9 in 10 purchases made on Depop prevent the purchase of a brand-new item elsewhere. On average, Depop users estimate that they wear an item a total of 46 times before it is discarded.
While at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Palm Springs, California, festivalgoers joined American Express’ immersive “Amex Experience” that modernizes Gen Z’s Y2K nostalgia. Inside the welcoming, bright blue experience, Card Members explored the sunlit space – and took note of all the exciting style surrounding them. One of the most buzzing activations – a point-and-shoot camera rental area from small business Paper Shoot Camera – provided Card Members with the chance to use the cameras to snap pictures of their festival looks within the Amex Experience, scoping out several Insta-worthy backdrops including a bold, orange colored “Say Cheese” wall, a wonderfully metallic and mod experience, and a graphic hub resurfacing those iconic instant messaging (IM) chats. Once Card Members captured their content, they could download and scroll through their favorite shots for the opportunity to have their favorite retro picture printed onto a reusable Coachella tote bag.
Amex has a deep commitment to supporting music festivals globally and continues to provide Card Members with unforgettable experiences at some of the biggest festivals, including California’s Stagecoach, BottleRock Napa Valley, the multi-city Re:SET concert series, London’s American Express Presents BST Hyde Park and Luno presents All Points East, and Texas’ Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Source: American Express
