Celebrity merchandise has entered a new era of personalisation with pop and reality TV stars selling the shirts off their backs, in a move to adapt to Gen Z consumers who are buying their clothes second hand online.
Singer Olivia Rodrigo who is currently top of the singles and album charts announced the SOURshop, a microsite on resale site Depop. The store features many now sold out clothes that Rodrigo wore in her music videos for her singles Driver’s Licence, Good 4 U and Deja Vu, including silk scarves, creeper platform boots and romper suits. When Etsy bought the resale site last month CEO Josh Silverman called it “the resale home for Gen Z consumers”, pointing out that 90% of its consumers are under 26. It’s a demographic that dovetails with 18-year-old Rodrigo’s fanbase, who rose to fame via TikTok.
Similarly A$AP Rocky, named ‘rap’s fashion darling’ by GQ, has partnered with the controversial site Klarna (where he’s a shareholder) which targets Gen Z and millennials with their ‘buy now, pay later’ payment options to sell clothes curated by the rapper. The site, which promises to “drop your lockdown look” and “get smooth again”, offers clothes hand picked by the rapper from Jean Paul Gaultier, Fendi, Chanel and Tommy Hilfiger. Prices range from £11 to upwards of £2,800.