TikTok’s Best Dressed Star, Wisdom Kaye, Shares His Tips for Shopping Secondhand
Wisdom Kaye is one of the most stylish creators on TikTok, and he’s definitely the best-dressed guy on the app. Since posting his first TikTok in January, the 19-year-old from Houston has become a style star in his own right—he’s amassed more than 4.7 million followers and counting, and has been signed to the IMG modeling agency. All of Kaye’s fans tune in to see him take on an array of styling challenges, including putting together an entire outfit in 30 seconds, styling looks inspired by emojis, and much more. High-fashion labels have even begun recognizing Kaye’s influence too: Brands such as Dior or Balmain are now sending him gifts to unbox and then rock in his new videos.
Part of what makes Kaye’s personal style so interesting and widely appealing is his love of vintage. The creator will mix current-season designer pieces with secondhand finds, resulting in cool, eclectic outfits. One of his favorite places to source secondhand clothing is on Depop, an online destination for secondhand or vintage clothing that’s popular among Gen Z. And this week, Kaye has partnered with Depop for a new campaign that highlights why shopping secondhand is a more ecologial alternative to fast fashion.
“When you buy brand-new, you’re buying just that—new,” Kaye tells Vogue. “That access to older seasons and vintage pieces is something that people love about secondhand shopping, and Depop is an excellent place to find those things.” This week, in tandem with Black Friday and Cyber Week, Kaye curated a few of his favorite Depop accounts and items, which will be featured on the Depop app’s explore page come Friday. (Some of Kaye’s favorite Depop accounts to find gems on include @grizarchives, @kahiplow, and @jason0205, all of which offer retro sportswear that you can imagine would go viral on TikTok).
For Kaye, shopping on Depop and other resale sites goes beyond just finding a designer-grail or one-of-a-kind piece, though. Shopping secondhand makes him think about shopping more sustainably; in general, he now tries to avoid buying new whenever possible. “When I think about it, sustainable shopping shouldn’t even be something special. It should be the standard,” Kaye says. “I think we should all be shopping sustainably, as we only have the one planet to live on. I especially love that more young people gravitate towards Depop as a way of shopping because it shows a conscious shift to a more affordable and sustainable shopping lifestyle.”
Below, Vogue asked Kaye his tips and tricks for scoring secondhand goods online—and what his favorite find of all time is. (Trust us, it’s good.)
1. What are your top three tips for successfully shopping secondhand online?
Always inspect the item carefully in the pictures provided. Secondhand clothing can be worn, so you want to make sure that whatever you’re getting is at a level of wear that you’re comfortable with. Message your seller if you have questions! The cool part about secondhand is that you get to directly talk to the person selling an item that you’re interested in. So if you have questions of fit, wear, or price, you can inquire before you make your move. [Lastly] explore. Shopping secondhand gives you the ability to access pieces from so many different periods in time—there’s so much out there. Maybe you’re used to rocking ’80s style clothing, but don’t be afraid to look at pieces from the ’70s or ’60s too. Secondhand, it gives you access to that, and you might find different styles you didn’t know you liked.
2. What is a common mistake to avoid when shopping secondhand?
Not contacting your seller. Sometimes you might get an item and it doesn’t fit the way you expect. This can be avoided if you message your seller for said specifics, this way you know exactly what you’re getting.
3. What has been exciting you about fashion in general lately?
I’m always very excited by bold silhouettes and patterns. I love when pieces look like actual art, something you could see in an installation at a museum.
4. What has been one of your favorite secondhand finds ever?
My favorite secondhand find has to be the French 60mm Chelsea boot from the Saint Laurent fall 2015 collection. This is personally one of my favorite collections from Saint Laurent under Hedi Slimane, so being able to acquire something from this season is really cool.
5. What trends or pieces will you be wearing this winter?
I’ll definitely be experimenting with new silhouettes this winter, and probably try to get into styling puffer jackets. It doesn’t really get too cold where I live, but I’m just gonna wear them anyway.
6. What do you think will be the next big TikTok trend? How do you see fashion evolving on the app?
Fashion on TikTok is controlled by the youth and there’s a primary focus on streetwear, loose-baggy silhouettes, and minimal color palettes. People on this side of fashion understand that they don’t need to pay a lot of money to achieve this style, which is why I think it’s so popular. As a result, a lot of people have been exposed to the concepts of thrifting and shopping secondhand. I think no matter what, affordability will always be the driving force. TikTok is primarily for young people, so not everyone has $1,000 to spend on a jacket, especially if they can get a similar one secondhand.
