Goodwill Hunting #11: nicheification & thrifting
Goodwill Hunting #11: nicheification & thrifting
Micro-cultures, #catholiccore, and the search for belonging
Welcome to Goodwill Hunting, a newsletter curating the best of pre-loved fashion finds, insights, and jobs from across the web. Written by Danielle L. Vermeer, a tech product manager and avid thrifter obsessed with fashion, curation, and circularity.
The “nicheification” of culture isn't new. Subcultures have always existed, but consumer demand is increasingly shifting to micro scale—from mass culture to micro-niches, from mega influencers to micro user-generated content creators, from accessible mid-tier brands to thrifted unique finds.
My hypothesis for this nicheification is that younger generations are seeking belonging more than status.
For the digitally native Gen Z and Alpha generations, the search for meaning and connectedness starts online. It lives in internet rabbit holes, in small group text chats, in Reddit subs, in Discord servers, in TikTok For You Pages that algorithmically serve up scarily accurate content.
This Extremely Online lifestyle contrasts with older generations who primarily looked to organized religion for belonging and community. In the U.S., over 90% of the Silent Generation and 82% of Boomers are affiliated with Christianity or other world religions; only 9% and 18%, respectively, are “unaffiliated.” In comparison, 34% of Gen Z and 29% of Millennials are unaffiliated with any religion (source).
This is why I couldn’t read this clickbait piece in The New York Times—“New York’s Hottest Club Is the Catholic Church“—without thinking of Stefon from SNL. As a cradle Catholic with 16+ years of Catholic/Jesuit education, it’s both confounding and comical to see Catholicism be positioned as cool, even if only in satirical or parodic ways. In Dirt, a daily digest of digital culture and pop culture, Terry Nguyen writes about “Church Girls”:
Maybe the current appeal is more about prayer’s aesthetic function: Claim the symbols of devotion without committing to the spiritual bit. As society grows more secular, the easiest “rebellion” is to reject modernity and embrace tradition. The “cool-girl-gone-quasi-Catholic” persona1 born online is not really about God, after all.
The reality is that younger people are not flocking to Catholicism (or any other major religion). Only 28% of 18- to 29-year-olds who identify as Catholic attend weekly Mass (source). Instead, they’re flocking to online communities.
If society used to be religious but now is more secular, then is being counter-cultural back to being religious?
This yearning to authentically connect with others who share our beliefs, values, and interests—and then signal our belonging—is a fundamental part of what makes us human. This is what CMO Ana Andjelic explained in the new economic model of “Corteiz Goods”. It’s what Decode unpacks in “The Rise of Niche Culture”:
More than previous generations, Gen Z no longer care about fitting in with the masses or adhering to the status quo, instead they try to seek a deep understanding of who they are in order to connect with individuals that share similar interests.
Where does thrifting come into play? The logic is as follows:
If younger generations are seeking belonging more than status,
And they are both price and sustainability conscious,
Then they will seek out one-of-a-kind items vs. mass-produced styles
to express their individual style and signal their iykyk status with like-minded community.
If niche is where it’s at, then Curation as a Service is where it'll be.2
♻️ pre-loved fashion under $250
Vintage Dolce & Gabbana black dress, size XS from The RealReal ($62)
Vintage Madonna tank top, size S from Ebay ($58)
Vintage Our Lady of Guadeloupe silk jacket, size men’s L from Grailed ($120)
Compagnia Italiana plaid skirt, size M from ThredUP ($27)
Dr. Martens leather combat boots, size US 6 from The RealReal ($94)
Givenchy chiffon dress, size S from Vestiaire Collective ($170)
Vivienne Westwood corset, size S from Ebay ($247)
Urban Outfitters Sistine Chapel print pants, size S from Ebay ($40)
Zara Sistine Chapel cropped hoodie, size S from Ebay ($20)
📕 must-reads in fashion, tech & circularity
The RealReal 2022 Luxury Resale Report. The annual report analyzed data from 28 million shoppers at The RealReal. The average TRR shopper visited the site 127x per year, and visits were up +35% YoY among Gen Z. Top pre-loved brands included Gucci (+24% demand YoY), Louis Vuitton, and Chanel, as well as vintage finds from Mary McFadden (+1,936% YoY), Bob Mackie (+1,895%), Roberto Cavalli (+1,130%), and Thierry Mugler (+531%).
The Rise of Niche Culture and How It Defines A Generation (Decode). The nicheification of culture—including fashion, music, and online communities—is reflective of a shift from demographics to psychographics. This means that people identify more with others who share their values and interests (psychographics), not necessarily by their age or gender (demographics).
Reflaunt secures $11M funding (EcoTextile News). Resale-as-a-service startup Reflaunt announced its Series A round, which will be used to expand its partnerships and services to fashion brands and retailers.
🚀 jobs in circular fashion
1stDibs — Chief Product Officer. Lead product management and development for the two-sided vintage marketplace.
ASOS — Head of Sustainability. Lead sustainability initiatives across Product Sustainability, Circularity and Supply Chain.
GOAT — Senior Analyst, Marketing Strategy. Data-driven role to lead marketing strategic planning and high impact initiatives across the business.
Indyx — Head of Style Operations. Lead style operations of early stage startup, which digitizes your closet, connects you with a professional stylist, and enables you to resell items in one click.
Nuuly — Senior Social Media Manager. Lead strategy, planning and execution of Nuuly Rent and Nuuly Thrift brand content across all social media platforms.
reverse.supply — Product Manager. Lead product for resale-as-a-service startup in Berlin, Germany.
Selfridges — Group Senior Sustainability Manager. Manage sustainability strategy, programs, and communications for the retailer.
The RealReal — Director, Men’s & Watches. Drive scaled growth within the men’s category and create a best in class customer experience.
ThredUP — Frontend Engineer. Lead front-end software development (React/Typescript/GraphQL) for resale fashion site.
Vinted — Product Design Director. Manage design for Europe’s largest pre-loved fashion marketplace with 65+ million members across 16 countries.
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Disclaimer: My posts are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my current, past, or future employers. Goodwill Hunting is not affiliated with Goodwill Industries or the film Good Will Hunting.
Vice, “How Catholicism became alt-fashion's saviour,” May 2021. After cottagecore and dark academia, the 'cool-girl-gone-quasi-Catholic' is the latest reaction to the establishment's hijacking of edginess.
Curation as a Service (Caas), coined by Andrea Hernández, founder of Snaxshot. The Washington Post recently dubbed Snaxshot “an oracle in the food and beverage space.” See also Trends.vc coverage on Curation as a Service.