Stellies Students Team Up for Sustainable Fashion with Own App

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Two Stellies Students have created an app to inspire sustainable fashion choices, making their own virtual thrift market!

Stellenbosch, South Africa (09 July, 2023) — As fashion lovers commit to more sustainable choices, two Stellies students have teamed up to make sharing preloved pieces easier for South Africans.

Thrift culture already has a huge place in the world of South African fashion, particularly for young people part of the environmentally-conscious generation who also don’t want to blow their entire allowance or first paychecks on a new outfit.

However, oftentimes thrifting is an extensive adventure. It takes time to find the right pieces. Not to mention, the online pulse of preloved clothing can be difficult to get in tune with for rookie thrifters because of how quickly small-batch stock drops and is sold.

This is where two young Stellies students, Wihan Joubert and Bernard Combrink decided to make it easier for thrifters and sellers. Wanting to commit to the sustainable fashion movement while creating income opportunities for other young people, they spent two years developing an app that would exist as a virtual thrift market. Here, more thrift options are accessible, and anyone in South Africa can put their preloved pieces up for sale via Drip Markets.

“It’s part of student life to buy cool vintage clothing, but we soon realised that the impact of this application was far broader…Drip Markets is not just about creating a platform to sell second-hand clothing; it is also an opportunity to tap into sustainable fashion.” —Wihan Joubert.

Stellenbosch University adds that the platform helps remove the need to consume additional resources. An old T-shirt replaces the materials needed to create a new one, saving energy, water and materials.

A long journey to the promised land, the pair went through tons of trial-and-error moments whilst doing their studies. Eventually, they connected with an electrical engineering student Arnold Hattingh to get the app up and running seamlessly.

As the app grows, so will its creativity. Soon, it might just be the next home of upcycled creations too!

You can check it out on your app store.

Or, if you’re not in the market to buy or sell, don’t forget to check out our Charity Shops List for all the organisations that will kindly welcome donations.