Sifting through the racks of clothes, senior Dawt Iang quickly examined each piece of clothing for potential. She continued this for an hour until her cart was full of clothes. Finally,  proceeding to check out and preparing them to be washed and resold. 

During quarantine, Iang began with a simple want for some extra cash. Now, a year later, she has grown her interest into a business selling clothes online through apps like Depop.

“I enjoy Depop a lot because I can actually trade clothes and support small businesses,” Iang said. 

Depop is a fashion marketplace that allows users to sell, trade and buy clothes, jewelry, makeup and other fashion items.

She normally sells clothes from her own closet or clothes that she has thrifted from Goodwill, local garage sales, Plato’s Closet and other sources. When thrifting clothes, she likes to look out for brands, trends and good quality. She considers all factors to determine the price of clothing. 

“I don’t like to overprice things..I think my prices are fair,” Iang said. 

After a year, she has earned roughly $400 from selling her clothes. She is also in the process of expanding her business by reselling furniture on Facebook Marketplace. 

One of her customers, senior Shen Bu, who regularly buys clothes from Depop and has bought several pieces from Iang, says that she had a very positive experience shopping from Iang. 

“It was really nice. She was really patient and all the clothes I got from her are always in great condition,” Bu said. 

As someone who sells clothing, Iang has a lot of interest in fashion. Her style is inspired by influencers and artists, particularly one influencer named Tanya who also sells clothes on Depop. Iang admires how Tanya’s style is bold and creative as opposed to trend-following. 

Iang has dyed her hair like Tanya and by spring, wants to begin dressing like her. Tanya is known for using thrifted clothes and creating self-expression through clothes instead of jumping onto fashion trends.

“She’s just the coolest and one of the most talented people I admire,” Iang said. “She makes her idea of fashion come alive and she’s inspiring.” 

For Iang, selling clothes is an overall rewarding experience because it allowed her to earn money while also expressing her love for fashion. Since she has been fairly successful with her business, she plans to continue selling and expanding it.