Person to Person (P2P)
Person-to-person (P2P) refers to a type of online platform or marketplace that facilitates direct transactions between individuals, allowing them to share, sell, or rent clothing items. P2P platforms have gained popularity in recent years, providing a convenient and sustainable way for individuals to access a wide range of fashion choices while promoting circularity and reducing waste.
Peer-to-peer transactions
P2P platforms enable individuals to engage in direct transactions with one another, cutting out the traditional middleman or retailer. Users can list their clothing items for sale, rental, or sharing, while others can browse and connect directly with the item’s owner. This direct interaction fosters a sense of community and promotes a more personalized and social shopping experience.
Sharing and collaborative consumption
P2P platforms encourage the sharing and collaborative consumption of fashion items. Users can lend or rent out their own clothing, allowing others to access a wider variety of styles and brands without having to make a full purchase. This sharing economy approach promotes sustainability by maximizing the use of existing resources and reducing the need for excessive production and consumption.
Wide range of services
P2P platforms offer a range of services to facilitate transactions and enhance the user experience. These services can include secure payment processing, messaging systems for communication between buyers and sellers, item verification and authentication, and rating systems for user feedback. These features help build trust and ensure smooth and reliable transactions within the P2P fashion marketplace.
Flexible rental periods
P2P platforms often provide flexible rental periods, allowing individuals to rent clothing items for specific occasions or durations. This flexibility appeals to users who are looking for unique or designer pieces for special events, without the need for a long-term commitment or investment. It enables users to access high-quality fashion items that might otherwise be inaccessible or unaffordable.
Logistics handling
P2P platforms can handle logistics such as cleaning and delivery of the rented or sold items. Some platforms offer cleaning services to ensure that clothing items are fresh and ready for the next user. Additionally, the platform may provide shipping or pickup services to simplify the process for both the lender/seller and the borrower/buyer. These logistical support services streamline the overall experience and make it more convenient for users.
Circular economy promotion
P2P platforms play a significant role in promoting the circular economy within the fashion industry. By facilitating the reuse and extended lifespan of clothing items, they help reduce the environmental impact associated with fast fashion and encourage more sustainable consumption patterns. P2P transactions contribute to reducing textile waste, extending the lifecycle of garments, and fostering a more conscious approach to fashion.
Democratization of fashion
P2P platforms empower individuals to participate in the fashion ecosystem beyond being users. Users can become sellers, renting or selling their own clothing items and generating income from their unused or underutilized wardrobe. This democratization of fashion allows for greater diversity in styles and brands, encouraging a more inclusive and accessible fashion marketplace.
Case studies
Depop – Social resale marketplace
Depop is a peer-to-peer social shopping app where users, primarily Gen Z, buy and sell second-hand fashion directly to one another. The platform’s feed-based interface and in-app messaging foreground social interaction while extending garment lifetimes, making resale and reuse a culturally desirable norm rather than a niche practice.
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Vinted – Second-hand fashion marketplace
Vinted is a community-driven marketplace where individuals list, buy, and swap second-hand clothing and accessories directly with each other. By focusing on everyday garments and low-friction listing and shipping tools, Vinted scales P2P circulation of garments, reducing textile waste and normalising second-hand as a primary mode of fashion consumption.
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Vestiaire Collective – Luxury peer-to-peer resale platform
Vestiaire Collective operates a curated peer-to-peer marketplace for pre-owned luxury fashion, connecting individual sellers and buyers while providing authentication and quality control. By extending the use-phase of high-value garments and accessories, it embeds circular practices into luxury consumption and demonstrates how platform governance can support trust in P2P fashion ecosystems.
Project link
ThredUp – Online consignment and thrift marketplace
ThredUp is a large-scale online consignment marketplace where individuals send in used garments that are then listed and sold to new wearers via the platform. Although inventory is processed centrally, the economic model is fundamentally peer-to-peer, enabling large volumes of clothing to move from first to subsequent users and documenting the environmental savings from second-hand purchases.
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Poshmark – Social peer-to-peer fashion marketplace
Poshmark is a social commerce platform where users create “closets” to sell new and second-hand fashion directly to others, with social features such as shares, likes, and virtual “posh parties.” The platform turns resale into an ongoing social activity, supporting circular flows of garments between individuals while providing income opportunities for small-scale sellers.
Project link
References
Abbate, S., Centobelli, P., Cerchione, R., Oropallo, E., & Ricciardi, F. (2023). Sustainability trends and gaps in the textile, apparel and fashion industries. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 25, 16933–16963. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02887-2
Chen, X., Li, Y., Wu, Y., & Chen, Y. (2021). Circular economy and sustainability of the clothing and textile industry. Materials Circular Economy, 3, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42824-021-00022-9
Jiang, L., Dimitrov, S., & Mantin, B. (2017). P2P marketplaces and retailing in the presence of consumers’ valuation uncertainty. Production and Operations Management, 26(3), 509–524. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.12653
Kim, I., Jung, H. J., & Lee, Y. (2021). Consumers’ value and risk perceptions of circular fashion: Comparison between secondhand, upcycled, and recycled clothing. Sustainability, 13(3), 1208. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031208
Papamichael, I., Karachaliou, E., & Lasaridi, K. (2023). The perception of circular economy in the framework of fashion industry. Waste Management & Research, 41(3), 493–503. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X221145919