40) thredUP's Brand Director on revolutionizing secondhand shopping and helping fashion go circular

Green Dreamer: Seeding change towards collective healing, sustainability, regeneration

kaméa chayne

Nature, Alternative Health, Society & Culture, Philosophy, Health & Fitness, Science

4.9 • 661 Ratings

🗓️ 2 August 2018

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

With the fashion industry today being extremely wasteful, what are some positive trends we can feel hopeful about? What can we learn from how thredUP was able to revolutionize the experience of second-hand shopping, from it being viewed as unpleasant to fun and desirable?

Erin Wallace, Brand Director of the world's largest secondhand clothing and consignment store thredUP, shares her wisdom with you today.

HIGHLIGHTS:

[3:20] Something that shocked Erin about sustainable fashion.

[6:26] Kaméa: "What was your biggest takeaway in terms of what it takes to establish a brand on a national scale?"

[7:50] What Erin says has led to the de-stigmatization of thrifting and second-hand clothing for consumers.

[10:15] Kaméa: "How do you personally stay organized with all of these different departments you oversee?"

[11:27] Erin's thoughts on the key to creating a loyal customer following.

[11:57] Kaméa: "What's been essential to thredUP starting from ground zero to establishing itself as the leading secondhand online shop?"

[12:49] A few mistakes Erin sees eco and socially-driven brands making that hold them back.

[14:22] Erin: "A lot of us care a lot about the environment and sustainability, and we also love the fun of shopping and getting dressed every day. Those don't have to be mutually exclusive."

[14:35] Erin's advice for eco-driven entrepreneurs today

[17:12] Kaméa: "What are some of the latest insights into secondhand shopping that have surprised you?"

[17:55] Erin: "We really feel like [secondhand shopping] is on the verge of becoming mainstream..."

[21:57] Kaméa: "If you were the Brand Director of the entire sustainability movement, what would you focus on to grow it from being a niche to attracting everybody?"

Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, this is your host, Kamea. I hope you had a restful holiday season and that your start to this new year has been all of the things that you might need during this time.
0:11.7	As we move deeper into 2025, first of all, I'm so excited to share the many conversations we already have in the pipeline for you this season.
0:20.5	So definitely stay tuned
0:22.2	and make sure you're subscribed to my Substack newsletter, which you can find at camilla.substack.com.
0:29.9	And I also just want to share that our call for your direct support continues as well, because
0:34.7	independent media is more important than ever, and every contribution,
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0:50.5	greendreamer.com slash support. If you need a planner for the new year,
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1:00.5	slash shop.
1:01.8	Thank you so, so much for whatever forms of support you're able to share with us.
1:06.9	For now, enjoy the show.
1:09.8	The idea that you're just donating your clothes and everybody's happy and everybody's wins is just, is not the reality.
1:18.6	With the fashion industry today being extremely wasteful and definitely not sustainable,
1:24.3	what are some positive trends we can feel hopeful about?
1:27.4	What can we learn from how
1:28.7	ThreadUp was able to really revolutionize the experience of secondhand shopping, from it being
1:34.4	viewed as unpleasant and maybe even stigmatized, to it being fun and desirable? That's just the tip
1:41.4	of the iceberg of what you'll hear today. Real quick, I wanted to let you know that I'm now sharing the two key takeaways from each interview in the show notes instead of at the end of the episodes. And I'll continually be sharing highlights from the podcast in my weekly Sunday newsletters. To find the show notes or to get your weekly dose of inspiration sent directly to you through email,
2:01.3	you can head to green dreamer.com. And now on to our episode. Let's dive in.
2:10.7	Hey, it's Kamea Shane and this is Green Dreamer, a podcast for creatives, visionaries, and
	...

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