FASHION EXPERT INTERVIEW: KARA VAN CLEAF, DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST
Kara Van Cleaf has a PhD in Sociology and works at Fordham University where she teaches courses in digital media and digital design. She runs a vintage store, Aux Etoiles Vintage, with one of her best friends. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Has social media forever changed the way people buy clothes?
Absolutely! The biggest change is of course the disruption to the traditional fashion media hierarchy, with print media as the gatekeeper. Fashion editors now have to be as skilled in digital media as they are in fashion. But more importantly, social media allows consumers to connect with others who align with their lifestyle aspirations. It’s more fine-tuned to situational atmospheres, such as a person’s cultural and geographic context as well as their stage in life, whether that's a young college graduate, new mom, or the over forty crowd who still want to participate, and drive, fashion.
One of the most interesting examples of social media and fashion consumption is the Instagram account, Noihsaf Bazaar (Noihsaf is fashion spelled backwards). The account posts pictures and descriptions of user submitted clothing, shoes, and accessories. The account only posts items from independent, emerging, and most often women-led companies. Noihsaf will not post or sell fast fashion. There is also very little luxury clothing. After users email pictures and descriptions of their item(s), Noihsaf creates an Instagram post for their 32k plus and growing audience. If the item sells, the seller pays Noishaf a fee of $3.80. Noishaf works well because it’s curated and has a distinct aesthetic, re-selling many brands that acquired popularity via social media. The famous Jesse Kamm pants or Babaa sweaters are examples of the faster selling and more popular items. Noihsaf has become a place to buy and sell, but also connect with like minded people. Once an item is posted, the first person to leave their zip code is prioritized as the buyer. The seller and buyer move the transaction to “dm” and negotiate the cost. The social aspect here is key: once the conversation moves to the dms, a conversation begins between the seller and buyer, one that often goes beyond the details of the transaction. While Noihsaf is one of many examples, it especially captures the power of organic, peer-to-peer, and women led market shifts. It’s really good at creating the feeling that you’re in on something small, and niche. That you’re an insider so to speak.
While Noihsaf does not have the numbers other selling platforms do, it’s a model for the ways micro-communities and individual sellers are turning Instagram into a marketplace.
What are the best social media channels to sell clothing and accessories to 25-45 year old people?
I think Noihsaf is especially good for a certain segment of the market: consumers who are into sustainable, women-led, and smaller scale lines. The claim is that such lines pay more attention to craftsmanship. The Noihsaf aesthetic is definitely within the 25-45 year old, women, range. I see individuals having closest sales on instagram too, using hashtags as a way to garner an audience. Etsy is a huge marketplace, that is often accessed via other social media platforms such as Pinterest or Facebook. Depop is growing, and an interesting company to watch as well. It skews younger but the range of accounts is quickly growing. Depop has set up a space in NYC where people can come and take photos of their items. Poshmark has an interesting culture and community, and a massive user base.. It is definitely skews feminine, with lots of feminine coded language. As one of the original platforms, Ebay has the benefit of massive numbers, and remains a great place to buy and sell items. Ebay is not as curated as the other spaces but it does allow users to set up and curate their own searches. But, again, I think what Noihsaf has done is an interesting model: a distinct aesthetic with a smaller but active audience of like minded women. I am far less familiar with Grailed, and the streetwear/menswear scene.
Do you think sales through social media will continue increasing, in the coming years?
Yes, without a doubt. On one hand, social media allows us to sell anything, anytime. It’s interesting to me that cleaning-out-the-closet, or packing up clothing kids have outgrown, has now become a monetized activity. I’m not sure this is a good thing, however, as it adds new types of labor to an already laborious process. Not only do you have to clean out the closet, you also have to photograph, list, pack and ship it. Platforms that take this step out, like The Real Real, are ahead of the curve here. I also think that selling on social media changes the mindset of consuming, and discarding things, entirely. We no longer have to hang on to something because it's a special luxury piece, it can be sold with the feeling that if you regret it, you can find it again by searching a hashtag on various social media platforms. The closet or wardrobe has become liquidated in a sense. Of course, the downside is that it’s more difficult to donate or get rid of stuff when you’re thinking you could instead make money. The ability to buy and sell on social media has us looking at our closet with an ROI mindset!
What is the biggest disruption social media has brought in the way people consume fashion?
One thing that I think has shifted with social media is that the way you consume is as important to your self-presentation as what you consume. Following certain people, finding out about sample sales and pop-ups via social media, buying something from a stumbled upon vintage seller, all contribute to a sense of being in the loop. This feeling does not always come from shopping online, however. Attending a special pop-up, a flea market, a studio sale, or other IRL events have become important to consuming fashion. Having a unique backdrop for consumption adds to the feeling of being an insider, and it gives status to individuals, especially when they post the space on social media. So, physical space is still crucial but it might not be where purchases happen. We consume spaces via digital media instead, and this explains the rise and importance of the pop-up.
You have a PhD in sociology and have studied customer behavior and digital culture, do you think, second hand clothes will become a bigger market in the coming years?
All signs point to yes. The second hand, thrift, vintage, and consignment markets are exploding and the projected revenue for second hand shows exponential growth. I think there are a few reasons. The first being that shopping second hand allows consumers to feel like they’re doing something sustainable. Americans consume a lot of clothing and shopping is an American pastime. But we’re feeling the weight of our consumption whether through massive Marie Kondo-ing or through cultural discussions of global warming, waste, and sustainability. Second hand shopping allows consumers to feel like they’re doing something to counter overconsumption. I also think that American puritanism feeds into the rise of secondhand shopping. There’s a unique American cultural lineage of suspicion and judgement around materialism, buying second hand alleviates this--people can feel virtuous in their consumption if it’s secondhand.
Second hand shopping also allows consumers to find a “one-of-a-kind” item, even if the item is only a few seasons past, but now out of circulation. Scarcity of goods increases their value, both their economic and affective value. By affective value, I mean the feeling of finding something unique, the status the “find” gives the consumer. Putting in the time to hunt for something unique and special, and then turning that find into fashion, let’s us show off our fashion sense, our taste, and gives us value or cultural cache. Second hand shopping puts more of the work on the consumer, and this increases the sense of reward for finding that one thing. The thrill of the hunt! This is all a reaction to fast fashion, and even the way the luxury market has created status items at relatively cheaper prices points (relatively!) and flooded social media. The relationship to luxury fashion is complicated too. On one hand Alessandro Michele of Gucci has blown up by creating vintage inspired fashion and social media layouts. However, it feels almost more ‘Gucci’ to create a heavily layered, someone discordant look from second hand clothing. Getting the Gucci look is not only available to those who can afford it.
Kara Van Cleaf - PhD in sociology, social media expert and vintage enthusiat
