Pre-Loved Podcast: Danielle Vermeer

Pre-Loved Podcast is a weekly vintage fashion interview show, with guests you’ll want to go thrifting with! For more Pre-Loved Podcast, subscribe to our Patreon!

Today’s show is with Danielle Vermeer, recently the co-founder & CEO of a startup called Teleport, and you may also know her online as Goodwill Hunting – which is the name of her newsletter about resale and secondhand fashion.

An avid thrifter of 20+ years, Danielle has long been interested in the impact she could make at the intersections of fashion, tech, and sustainability. She recently took a leap from leading resale & circular fashion at Amazon to join Teleport as Co-founder & CEO. Teleport is an early stage startup where users post no-filter videos of their shoppable,  thrifted outfits. Think if TikTok and Depop had a baby. 

We chat about Danille’s story with secondhand, how she hasn’t purchased any new clothes for over 11 years, what she’s learned working to bring circular fashion to scale, and how we’re moving into a new era of resale. Plus so much more!

This episode is full of insights about the secondhand space, so let’s just dive right in!

DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:

• [3:30] Playing with the Barbie fashion design computer game in the 90s
• [7:16] Her story with thrift and secondhand started with buying a pair of platform, Spice Girls-inspired boots for a friend’s birthday gift at the local consignment store.
• [9:52] Quitting fast fashion and starting her 11+ year commitment to ‘no new clothes’
• [12:20] Danielle’s career at the intersection of fashion and tech.
• [17:30] Building out luxury resale at Amazon Fashion, and her  key learnings about how resale business models differ from retail at scale.
• [24:20] Is rental a sustainable business model long-term?
• [27:16] The different eras of online resale platforms – from eBay and Craigslist, to the present day – and what comes next. 
• [38:17] How we educate younger consumers about choosing quality fashion and the role of personal style, when all they have known is fast fashion.
• [44:39] Prediction for this year: clothing swaps will be in and fashion hauls will be out!
• [46:00] Danielle describes her style as Midge Maisel meets Susie Myerson, and how she’s re-discovering her personal style after becoming a mom.

EPISODE MENTIONS: 

• Danielle’s Twitter
• Danielle’s Substack, Goodwill Hunting 
• Teleport
• Teleport on Twitter
• Teleport on TikTok
• Danielle’s TikTok
• The Barbie Fashion Design game
• The commercial with Mila Kunis
• My article for Atmos on the ethics of reselling
• ShopGoodwill.com
• Liisa Jokinen on Pre-Loved Podcast
• Gem – secondhand search app
• Recurate
• Helpsy
• @thefashiondisrupter
• Special offer for Pre-Loved Podcast listeners. The first 10 listeners who make their first purchase on Teleport will get $10 cash back! All you have to do is DM the Teleport account in the app with a screenshot of your purchase.

LET’S CONNECT: 

• 📸Instagram: @emilymstochl
• 🐦Twitter: @emilymstochl
• 🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl
• 📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/ 
• 🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod 

SPECIAL THANKS: 

A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible!

• Patty Weber
• Beverley Docherty of Wolfe Pack Vintage
• Danny of Galaxy Live
• Kathy Brand
• Lucero Buendia
• Mary-Elizabeth Land
• Tricia Zelazny
• Leslie V.
• Lisa of Queenie & Pearl
• Trudy