During the Covid pandemic, Depop became a cultural phenomenon. In 2019, the app had 13 million users, and by 2020, that number had doubled to 26 million. But before Gen Z spent lockdown scrolling on the app and vintage clothing became a TikTok aesthetic, fashion maven Isabella Vrana had already been running her Depop shop for five years.
Isabella began selling vintage clothes on Depop in 2015, when the app was just four years old. She started off casually listing items during her first year of university at UCL as her love for finding vintage gems meant she was buying more than she needed.
“When I moved to London, I used to go to East End Thrift Store; you’d pay for a bag and fill it up, and I used to get stuff for myself, not with the intention of reselling it,” she says. “But I’d buy stuff and get home and be like, ‘I don’t actually need all this stuff’ or think ‘this doesn’t fit quite right’, or ‘it doesn’t work with my wardrobe.’ So, then I started listing those bits on Depop and realised that I was actually making a profit that would sometimes pay for the stuff that I did want to keep.”
Isabella spent the four years of her French and Italian degree slowly growing her Depop following by selling clothes that she would genuinely want to wear herself. As a result, unlike most vintage sellers or stores, she refused to buy garments from vintage wholesalers.
“I was never comfortable with buying from people that were supplying other people because I wanted to have different stock to others. Usually, I would find people who were clearing out their wardrobes, women who were hoarders in the 90s, or I would find Ebay sellers who I would buy a few things off and then ask them if they had more.”
This is an attitude that Isabella still maintains, and it has led her to question the extent to which she has contributed to vintage clothing trends.
“I just look at whatever I like, and I base what I sell a hundred percent on my personal tastes for me to ensure that what I’m curating is different to other people,” she says. “I mean, not everything is going to be different, and I guess, subscribe to the Depop aesthetic, but it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Am I the Depop aesthetic, or is the Depop aesthetic me? I don’t know. I find to keep it original and current, I base it on what I like at the moment, and it saves a lot of time because if I look at something and like it, then I’ll get it.”
Isabella spent the cooler months loving what she has coined ‘wench-core’ Helena Bonham Carter inspired dressing. To her, that means exaggerated busts, cinched waists, and lots of draping, which she will continue to incorporate into her summer wardrobe.
“I wouldn’t say anything made new is sustainable, I think it’s a label to put on stuff.”
Along with her vintage store on Depop, Isabella also created her own label in 2019 called Isabella Vrana, which sells clothes made to complement vintage garments. All of the clothes are made in small batches in London.
“I have personal relationships with the people who make the clothes, and I can go whenever I want to see them; that’s always been incredibly important to me,” she says. “I feel there’s been a real lack of transparency in the fashion industry, and I found that people actually care where their clothes are from. If you give them the opportunity to learn more about where their clothes are made, it sparks an interest and sets a standard that they then apply to other brands. It wasn’t ever a question for me doing that, it was an obvious choice.
“I wouldn’t say anything made new is sustainable, I think it’s a label to put on stuff. If you’re making new things, it’s not sustainable in that sense. But I try to reduce my impact on the environment, so I use deadstock materials (surplus fabric), when possible, that are sourced very locally to me, and we do limited runs in those pieces. So, we just use the fabric that’s available to us, and it’s a limited edition piece and then that’s the end of it.”
But Isabella explained that it’s her understanding of vintage clothing that has resulted in the success of her label.
“A lot of my designs are inspired by vintage pieces as well. From selling vintage, I’ve learnt what works well, what stands the test of time, what’s comfortable, what fits well, what fabrics are good. I’m always gathering information based off vintage.”
She has found a mass amount of success within the industry and attributes it to her support system. Without the encouragement of her mum and boyfriend, Isabella would not have pursued working for herself full time after she graduated. To run all three of her businesses, Isabella has three employees who she describes as an “amazing team of women.” She also uses her experience to mentor younger woman looking to work in the field.
This summer, Isabella has her eye on anything lime green or purple but also plans on wearing a lot of black. She’ll also be wearing her slim platform flip flops from Havaianas that she wore all of last summer.
She’s also pushing for the return of capris pants. “I’m a huge capris girl. We’re a second style of capris we’ve been doing slim-fit ones for my label that have done incredibly well and were popular last summer, and people are already buying a lot of them for this summer. But the slim fit capris, I think some people aren’t quite ready for that, so I’m doing a peddle-pusher, three-quarter length, slightly flared trouser almost like a bootcut fit but cropped for the people who aren’t ready for slim fit.”
It’s clear from Isabella’s outfits success in the vintage industry relies on a love for clothes. “I’m such a vintage girl” she says, “I love it so much.”
Vibe Check
Clothing genre: 90s chic
Price range: Mid
Writers favourite item: The Elle Trousers
Ambiance: Classy cool
Pictures: Isabella Vrana via Instagram