By KATRINA BRANDON
ALONGSIDE the cost-of-living crisis, the move towards cheaper trends, such as ‘duping’, has emerged throughout communities.
Duping, or to duplicate, comes from a new op-shop trend where instead of heading to retail stores for expensive, high-end furniture, people go to op shops and find similar items for reasonable prices.
Vinnies (St Vincent de Paul Society) has recently opened up to ‘Dupe the Room’ bargains, highlighting the on-budget styling.
“‘Dupe the Room’ is about the new social media trend that enables the general public to refresh and restyle their rooms to look like what they see in ‘high-end’ magazines and in the marketplace for value prices,” Vinnies Shops Head of Merchandise and Retail Innovation, Liz Randle said.
“It keeps things in the market and gives them an extra life. So instead of going to landfill, we have it here and offer it for sale for reuse.”
While op shopping has always been a craze, Ms Randle believes the trend will only become more popular.
“While society still demands that people dress on trend, the average shopper now finds it too difficult to find enough cash for their favourite celebrity’s latest product endorsement,” she said.
“While direct dupes are not a new concept, what is new is their demand and the speed at which they’re produced.
“The speed of dupe consumerism is, for many people, a huge benefit. With trends merging and morphing as frequently as they do, it’s not often justifiable to fork out several hundred pounds on a product that might not be ‘it’ in a few months or weeks.”
