Last Updated on August 28, 2023
To be honest, it’s been a very long time since I’ve gotten this excited about new tech in the sustainable fashion space, but when I heard about Disco I had to try it and learn more!
TLDR Disco is a Chrome extension and when you’re browsing popular clothing websites it will pull secondhand options from Poshmark, Depop, and other re-sale sites. Making it super easy to find more sustainable and affordable pre-loved garments from your favorite brands. It’s new and not fully flushed out, but they’re growing and adding to it weekly. Definitely worth a try!
What I find so exciting about Disco is how it helps make it very easy to choose a more sustainable option, and this was a big driver for Disco creator Alina Liu to build the extension.
She explained to me that the spark for Disco initially began after having such positive experiences participating in Buy Nothing groups and she wanted to apply her skills to a business in the secondhand space that could help reduce waste. After a chat with a frustrated friend about how hard and time consuming it was to scour across so many secondhand sites vs the convenience of just jumping on Amazon and buying something new, the idea for Disco was formed. “His frustration inspired me to build a Chrome extension that automatically aggregates from multiple sites and meets you directly where you’re already shopping, a seemingly clear way to tackle this problem,” Alina explained.
It initially could be used for all products but then Alina decided to build it specifically for clothing; “it used to search for anything, which resulted in poor search quality, but is now completely focused on fashion. The fashion industry reaps over $1.5 trillion a year, landfills 85% of its products and stands out as one of the most influential consumer industries in the world, so I think it’s a great place to start.”
We of course couldn’t agree more!
How the Disco Extension Works
Disco has a growing list of brands it works on such as Columbia, Aritzia, Reformation, Theory, Patagonia, Dior, Canada Goose, L.L. Bean, Hermes, Girlfriend Collective, and many more. When you look at a product on their websites Disco will use the brand and product name to show similar items for sale secondhand on the side of the screen.
Disco currently finds alternatives on Poshmark and Depop, but they are planning to add eBay, TheRealReal, ThredUp, and other sites soon.
Since Disco is still very new Alina also explained that they will be refining and fine-tuning the search algorithm with feedback from more users. So expect improvements and updates as it grows – for example I was very happy to see just last week they added the option to filter results by size!
Will Disco Change How We Shop?
We know that the majority of consumers want to shop more sustainably, but it can be hard! Sustainable fashion often comes at a higher price point and it takes extra time most of us don’t have to research and find alternatives. So anything that can do the searching for you and help make choosing a sustainable option easier and more affordable is a great tool to have.
Alina says another key benefit of Disco is how it offers the same familiar shopping experience for people, “so many secondhand marketplaces have cropped up over the years and have done an incredible job pushing the world towards greener fashion, but there’s so much more we can do to bolster these businesses. I think Disco can really change the game because it meets people where they’re already shopping and does all the searching legwork for them. It makes the experience almost exactly how someone would shop online normally.”
With time she believes tools like Disco can help get people more comfortable with buying secondhand and shift how we shop for clothing, “I think Disco will help people build the habit of shopping with sustainability and re-sale in mind and hopefully it’ll become where their mind goes first.”
Future Plans for Disco
Alina has a bright vision for Disco. She acknowledges that it will likely go through many iterations to have the extension working optimally, but after tackling fashion she wants to expand it to other areas as well. “In the future we’ll be looking towards all categories like electronics, household items, furniture, appliances and more. I believe taking on a strategy like this will move us towards our mission, which is to accelerate the world’s transition to a circular economy.“
Have you tried Disco? Let us know what you think in the comments!
