AN ENTREPRENEURIAL teenager from Cwmbran set up a clothing business during lockdown, and has now been recognised as one of the fastest-growing sellers on shopping app Depop.

Evan Sellick, 16, sources branded clothing from charity shops and online wholesalers before washing, ironing and photographing them and putting them online for potential customers to view.

He started Clothing View during the first lockdown, aged 15, using £10 to buy some branded joggers and selling them on for £30 - a 200 per cent profit. Over the past 12 months, he has grown the business to the point where he has had to move bedrooms, having filled his old room with almost 300 items of clothing.

READ MORE:

“It was a case of boredom and what can I do, and the first thing I could think of was to make some money,” he said.

“As you grow older fashion and clothing means a lot more. The passion for making money has been there since I was younger.

“I was mainly doing eBay before when it was one or two items that I was selling, but then I moved on to Depop and Instagram.

“I didn’t think that over the winter I’d have to swap bedrooms to stock hundreds more items. I went from buying one or two items for a tenner and selling them and I’ve now just bought an order for £1,200 at once.”

The aspiring business student was even ranked 208th in the world for sellers on Depop, and has been invited to take part in one of its top seller programmes. This will involve being invited to Q&As, getting tips and advice on how to promote his business and becoming a verified seller on the website.

“Originally I didn’t focus on it as much, but I’ve put a lot of time and money into it and it’s been paying off,” he said. “It’s something I enjoy as well. The only jobs people my age usually get is pulling pints or in a supermarket, but I’m working for myself and those wouldn’t compare to the buzz you get when you find something.”

Some of Evan’s finds include some 1980s Tommy Hilfiger shirts and a 1966 England football shirt.

“It’ll be interesting to see as lockdown eases if that affects sales,” he said. “If you want brand new clothing or shoes you go in store, but if you want vintage you tend to shop online.

“There’s a lot of things I sell that you wouldn’t be able to find in the shop.

“It’s a big movement at the moment and it’s growing. Your fast fashion lasts a few months but I prefer the things I stock.”

You can find out more by visiting depop.com/evansellick or instagram.com/clothingview