Nominated for not one, not two, but three BRIT Awards at this year’s upcoming ceremony, Arlo Parks is making serious waves within the music industry. The 20-year-old British singer/songwriter (real name: Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho) has even had the likes of Dua Lipa cover her song Eugene recently. With a string of amazing tunes under her (most likely vintage) belt, Arlo is an advocate for thrift shopping. 

Teaming up with Depop, Arlo Parks joined a panel for the platform’s most recent ‘Let’s Talk’ podcast to chat all things sustainability in line with Earth Day. Keeping the conversation going, the singer has curated an edit of her top Depop sellers and the sustainable secondhand and vintage buys she wants to wear. 

With an aim to keep fashion fun and playful while also being eco-friendly, Depop allows you to share things you like and show what you’re buying and selling. Creating a circular community, Arlo is here to give us all the tips and tricks to finding the best bits on the app. 

Here, Arlo Parks talks to the Sustainable Shopper about wearing her mum’s jewellery, her favourite secondhand jacket and how using Depop to buy and resell your clothes is the way to care for the planet as well as getting to wear unique, cool pieces. 

Arlo: It’s something that has always been there, for as long as I can remember to be honest, but I never thought about it as sustainability until I was a little bit older. Thrifting was part of what I did when I hung out with my friends; going to kilo sales, buying second hand records, having older cousins’ clothes passed down to me and wearing my mum’s jewellery. 

To me, sustainability is caring about the planet as well as looking cool, it’s making choices that bring those two things together. I think celebrating moments like Earth Day and joining this campaign with Depop can help open up these conversations with more people and bring more attention to it.

My favourite thing about fashion in general is that it’s playful. Some days I do get dressed purely based on comfort and some days I’ll want to experiment more with colours, textures, patterns – it’s just fluid and it’s fun. 

There are definitely ways to enjoy fashion that can be more sustainable than always buying brand new things; like thrifting and giving secondhand pieces another life. You can also use platforms such as Depop to resell clothes after you’re done with them to someone else.

If you’re investing in something, you’re much more likely to really have thought about it and care about it a lot. But I don’t think investment has to always mean expensive, you can be really invested in pieces with a history and story behind them. Those things are so much more meaningful to me – I love wearing my grandmother’s earrings that she made and then passed on to me. 

When I was a kid, I would wear this denim jacket I found at a secondhand store in Hackney. I covered it with patches and it felt like my armour. There’s also that aspect of individuality and having something that no one else will have – if you wear and shop secondhand or vintage – which is so nice.

I really like Jenny from @wearilive. She showcases her thrifted finds, creative ways of dyeing items at home and suggests brands that are eco-friendly. If you have a platform and a voice and an ability to reach people, I think you should use it. It doesn’t have to be preachy, it could just be talking about a Depop store you love, or a way of upcycling a shirt – just sharing something you believe in is really helpful in changing people’s mindsets when it comes to sustainability. 

I think it would be more honest conversations around fashion and the impact of the industry in general. I really believe in the power of conversations – it’s so important to try and make changes within your direct community and circle and activate change there, not only on social media. Speak to your parents, your friends, ask questions and challenge people – that’s how change will really be brought about.

1. Use the Depop filters for sizing, colours and budget – this really helps narrow the search and show products which are actually relevant to you.

2. You can like and follow, comment and save (and look at what other people have liked). If you interact with items or people with similar vibes to you, then Depop will keep showing you more things you will always like.

3. Message the seller before you buy, ask questions, you can always see more photos from a different angle or get the measurements if they haven’t listed them. You’re buying from a person that loves what they’re doing, so take advantage of that and chat to them!

Sustainable Shopper edit by Arlo:

Images: courtesy of Depop/Arlo Parks