Digital Second-Hand Fashion Platforms and Sustainability: An Analysis of Vinted and The Clothing Loop in the Digital Second-Hand Fashion Economy
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2025-07-31
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en
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This thesis explores the structure, design and functionality of digital second-hand fashion platforms, focusing on the case studies of Vinted and The Clothing Loop, as well as their sustainability narratives. While both platforms promote second-hand clothing as an environmentally friendly alternative to fast fashion, they represent fundamentally different models of engagement and sustainability. Drawing on theories of platform capitalism, the attention economy, branding of sustainability, commons-based peer production and the principles of slow fashion, the analysis examines how platform design, structure, their underlying operational logics and communication embody different ways of engaging with sustainable fashion practices. Building on existing research, this thesis shifts attention away from user behaviour and motivations, instead examining the platforms themselves, namely how the way they are designed and operate has the potential to either reinforce patterns seen dominant consumption models or support more collaborative, community-driven practices. Using a qualitative mixed-method approach combining digital platform analysis, critical discourse analysis and a comparative analysis of two case studies, the thesis analyses both the mobile apps and the official websites of the two aforementioned platforms. The research concludes that Vinted, a highly engagement-driven resale app, is shown to align with the attention economy and platform capitalism by employing personalization through recommender systems, monetized features, and seamless interface design to maximize user activity, thus commodifying sustainability and reproducing patterns of consumerism that mirror the logic of fast fashion. In contrast, The Clothing Loop operates through a non-commercial, community-based model of clothing exchange, emphasizing peer-to-peer collaboration, minimal digital infrastructure, and behavioural change over engagement and profit.
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