Poshmark PR

In a move that could be a potential game changer for the Indian online fashion ecosystem, US-headquartered Poshmark, a social shopping marketplace specializing in second-hand clothes is set to take its first step into the domestic market.

“We feel the consumer in India has always been focused on sustainability more so than any other markets. A marketplace such as ours provides both value and a sustainable lifestyle,” Manish Chandra, founder & CEO at Poshmark told TOI during an exclusive interview.

For the Redwood City, Calif.-based company, which opened in Canada in 2019 and Australia last February, the addition represents more than just a business move.

“I grew up in India, and some of the ideas and inspirations and how we architected Poshmark came from growing up and spending time with my grandfather in the bazaars of Delhi called Chandni Chowk,” chief executive officer and founder Manish Chandra explained.

International expansion is a major priority at Poshmark, so much so that it hired two new executives to lead the way. Sylvie De Wever joins as the company’s first vice president and general manager of international, while Anuradha Balasubramanian steps into the role of Poshmark India’s general manager.

Mother-daughter duo Marcie and Bree Morgan are full-time vendors on Poshmark. At first, they struggled to sell. That’s when they learned there’s more to moving clothing along than just posting a picture. Poshmark, for example, uses social media features that they say are essential to selling.

“Once you start sharing it, then we started seeing followers and more interaction,” Marcie said.

Not only does selling clothing put cash in their pocket, but it keeps perfectly good items out of a landfill.

The chief executive of international retail giant Poshmark is optimistic of a ‘roaring twenties’ style surge in economic activity for Australia and the rest of the world despite ongoing lockdowns and surges in COVID cases.

“There’s a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, a lot of spending that is happening, and that wave will make its way across the world as places heal,” Mr. Chandra said.