Priah Ferguson Wants to Save Us All From 'Dumpster Pizza'

In its quest to save Gen Z from the environmental curse of fast fashion, thredUP has enlisted help from the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. Priah Ferguson, one of the scene-stealing stars of Netflix's Stranger Things, has teamed up with the online resale platform for its new back-to-school campaign aimed at staging an intervention for Gen Z to make healthier shopping choices. Through thredUp’s Fast Fashion Confessional hotline, Ferguson guides callers through their journey to break free from their fast fashion addiction in several pre-recorded messages. “You’ve reached the Fast Fashion Confessional Hotline. Which means you wanna break it off with fast fashion. No sweat. ThredUp and I are gonna get you through this ‘cause you and the planet deserve better,” Ferguson assures callers. Callers can go through multiple prompts to hear Ferguson dole out the sobering and sensible advice her character is best known for in the sci-fi hit, as well as receive discount codes to shop the platform. Customers can also share their own fast fashion horror stories by leaving personal voicemails. In one hilarious moment, the actor compares shopping with the environmentally unsustainable retailers to “dumpster pizza.” “50% of fast fashion items get made and thrown out in the same year,” Ferguson said. “That’s like making a whole pizza from scratch and sliding it into the dumpster.” According to the company, the hotline was inspired by thredUp’s Fast Fashion Report, conducted with analytics firm GlobalData, which found one in three Gen Zers feel “addicted to fast fashion.” The study also found 59% of fast fashion shoppers confessed it was a habit that was hard to stop, with nearly two in three shoppers aspiring to purchase more secondhand fashion. The findings align with another report the company released in the spring, which stated Gen Z wants to shop more sustainably and ethically but many are still heavily influenced by social media, which has a prevalent fast fashion following. “At thredUp, we’re committed to inspiring a new generation of consumers to think secondhand first,” said Erin Wallace, vp of integrated marketing, in a statement. “Our data shows that college students want to quit shopping fast fashion, but we know it’s hard to resist. That's why we're thrilled to partner with Priah. Together, we set out to make it easier than ever for shoppers to kick the fast fashion habit and embrace a healthier way to shop." For her part, Ferguson—who also modeled some sustainable fashion finds for the campaign—was more than game for the challenge. “I’m a huge fan of fashion and getting the latest trends, but I also care about keeping our planet healthy and strong,” she added in a statement. “I hope this hotline inspires people to change their shopping habits and think about thrifting. Even small changes can make a big difference for our future.” At thredUP, "we saw an opportunity to offer a solution as many Gen Z head back to school and want to shop for new clothes,” said thredUp’s director of consumer communications, Samantha Blumenthal, in an email to Adweek. “This campaign is designed to educate without preaching. Priah is engaging, relatable and wise beyond her years, which made her the perfect partner.” To promote the campaign, the company also partnered with Ferguson’s Stranger Things co-star, Gabriella Pizzolo, whose TikTok shows her reacting to one of Ferguson’s recordings on the hotline. Other influencers such as Bekah Martinez and Dai Time used the same recording to post their own promotional messages along with the hotline number in support of the campaign. Blumenthal said the company also “enlisted hundreds of thredUP’s college ambassadors” to spread the word about ditching fast fashion in favor of shopping thrift this back-to-school season. “With a mission to inspire consumers to think secondhand first, we believe in educating consumers on fast fashion’s impact and creating a shopping experience that is just as fun and easy as shopping fast fashion,” Blumenthal said. “We hope our hotline will spark an important conversation among Gen Z.” It’s Official: Skinny Jeans Are Out, Wide-Leg Denim Is In

Fashion News

ThredUp and Stranger Things' Priah Ferguson Want to Talk You Out of Buying Fast Fashion

The actor lends her voice to save the planet from 'dumpster pizza'

Leslie Blount

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Leslie Blount