Senior Riah Washington used to think she wanted to work on the business side of fashion; that was until she modeled for the IU fashion show her freshman year and realized she wanted to join the creative side. Sophomore Hannah Shepherd started college as a biology major, but discovered her passion lay in merchandising. Now, the two work together as IU’s Depop Student Ambassadors.
Depop is a popular online secondhand clothing and accessories marketplace. The Depop Student Ambassador Program started at universities in California but came to IU in fall 2024. Students have the opportunity to work with Depop and gain marketing experience while also promoting sustainability on their campus.
Ambassadors complete training for a few hours over zoom. Shepherd said ambassadors are not limited to how many semesters they serve; as long as they are currently enrolled at their collegiate institution, they are still eligible for the program.
Having switched to a fashion design major, Washington does fashion projects outside of school, including directing a few creative photo shoots, aided by her minor in fashion media. Despite just recently realizing her interest in creating, she has been drawn to fashion from a young age.
“I wanted to be around the shoots and do the creative direction. I wanted to get hands-on experience with creating my own clothes too,” Washington said. “But I think the inspiration started when I was really young with my parents because they always like to dress up too.”
Washington saw an advertisement on Instagram for the Depop ambassador program in summer 2024. She said much of what was on the application were things she was interested in doing. After completing an interview, she got the position and was an ambassador by herself for the fall semester. Since Shepherd joined in the spring, Washington has enjoyed collaborating with someone in the same position.
“Doing it by myself last year was nerve-racking, but I feel like it helped me get out my comfort zone and pitch myself,” Washington said. “I honestly love the fact that I have another person to do it with because we both are interested in the same thing. It's easier to bounce ideas off someone that's also doing the program and know what we need to get done and we're just able to create a lot of cool stuff and work together.”
Shepherd is a member of the marketing committee for the student organization Fashion Forward and a member of the IU Retail Studies Organization. Shepherd found out about the Depop program through an announcement on the RSO canvas page.
Shepherd’s favorite part of the program is networking with different campus groups for events. They have done an event with RSO, one with Fashion Forward, and hosted a tabling event. They plan to work with more groups in the coming months.
Ambassadors are paid $16 per event, and the program was recently given a larger budget that allows them to go from a limit of eight events per semester to 13.
Shepherd used to be part of the Youth Power Indiana program of Earth Charter Indiana which teaches sustainability and environmental work to kids. Part of being a Depop ambassador is raising awareness about sustainability to other students on campus.
The program has taught Washington that a lot of people have the same mindset regarding sustainability and are trying to create better fashion habits. She has also learned aspects of the industry she was not familiar with before, even as someone who was already an occasional seller on Depop.
“I just wanted to get my foot in the door with trying something that wasn't really offered from IU directly. I think it's a good way to network and broaden my horizon of what I can do in the fashion industry,” Washington said. “I think just practicing more sustainable habits, and realizing how much what we do in our day-to-day lives affects the world and affects other people, especially people that can't afford to get everything brand new.”
For their one tabling event so far this semester, Shepherd and Washington had make-your-own Valentines and candy. They also handed out Depop branded merchandise like tote bags, stickers and buttons. Shepherd has boxes of Depop branded merch piled in her dining room that the brand has sent her.
Being an ambassador does not require experience in professional marketing, but Shepherd said her experience with Instagram helped her stand out as a candidate. There is no IU Depop account, so the ambassadors promote events on their personal accounts.
“I have always posted more than the average person on Instagram,” Shepherd said. “The more you already post, the more likely you will be able to get this job because they need to know that they can rely on you to be posting frequently about this program and about the events you're hosting.”
At the end of the semester, ambassadors have the opportunity to get invited to do a summer internship with Depop based on who had the most impact on their campus or produced the most impressive work outside of events.
Information about future events and collaborations with groups on campus can be found on the ambassador’s personal Instagram's.
