merican high school experience, including attending prom, going to cheerleading practice, joining a chess club, visiting an amusement park and shopping for preloved digital clothing at Thriftea – a new thrift store and boba hangout area for Sims teens.  “The collaboration with Depop for The Sims 4 ‘High School Years’ expansion pack has allowed us to bring in unique and creative looks that reflect today’s fashion trends and how Gen-Z shops and shares fashion, to offer players an authentic gameplay experience as they help their Sims make the most of their teenage years,” The Sims head of brand, Julia Victor, said. The fashion marketplace comes to life through several virtual pre-loved outfits created by five top Depop sellers and sold at Thriftea. Sims players will be able to trade their pre-loved items via Trendi, an in-game app similar to Depop. As players collect new looks, they can work toward becoming a digital trendsetter to increase the value in outfits and earn ‘Simoleons’, The Sims’ in-game currency.  Depop sellers that are part of the “High School Years” expansion pack include: Bella (Internetgirl), Jeremy (Happyxloco), Selena Williams (Selenasshop), Lapoze McTribouy of Sooki Sooki Vintage (judaku) and Australian illustrator Sha’an d’Anthes’ (furrylittlepeach). Their styles reflect the most popular categories sold on Depop, such as vintage, streetwear, one-of-a-kind, and Y2K.  “Our sellers are at the heart of everything we do at Depop, so putting their creative vision front and centre in this collaboration was an opportunity to showcase their talent and show how intrinsic they are to us as a brand,” Depop brand director Steve Dool said in an official statement.  Generation Depop With the rise of games in fashion, many companies have created branded mini-games to increase engagement with their target audience. However, The Sims 4 and Depop have done the opposite by embedding a familiar fashion experience within an already established digital game.  This collaboration taps into not only The Sims’ Gen Z players, but also their consumer habits, which are largely linked with buying and selling pre-loved clothing in real life. There is one major similarity between The Sims and Depop – Gen Z is the largest user base for both. It’s estimated that 60 per cent of Sims players are women between 18 and 24, including about 10 million active users. Depop states that 90 per cent of its active users are under 26 years of age, with about 30 million registered users globally. This age group is also known as Generation Depop, for its buying habits and for being more socially and environmentally aware than previous generations.  Express yourself As much as Depop is known as a peer-to-peer fashion marketplace, it also offers a creative outlet for people to upcycle and repurpose clothing in new and interesting ways. By adding their own flare, players can create unique items, increasing their value and making a nice side hustle for sellers.  With the promise of the metaverse on the horizon, this collaboration will create one of the very few spaces for a similar virtual experience – styling your avatar freely.  Gen Z tends to be more fluid with identity and labels. They’ll challenge traditional gender norms and confidently express themselves in how they feel, instead of doing what society expects of them.  Collecting pre-loved clothing within The Sims 4 extends awareness of circular fashion in practice, even if you’re not physically trading real clothing. The experience in The Sims will probably increase players’ interest in using Depop in real life. They will become more familiar with circular fashion while developing their own personal style. Dool said, “We can’t wait to see how players curate their looks and virtually explore their individual styles. We’re excited to bring circular and secondhand fashion into the digital world with The Sims, reflecting how young people are shaping, sharing, and consuming fashion now.” The collaboration between Depop and The Sims is an excellent example of putting the pre-loved clothing experience in the hands of millions of people.  Come 28 July, I’ll be purchasing the “High School Years” expansion pack. It’s been over a decade since I played The Sims. If you want the best way to gain a better understanding of the places Gen Z hangs out online, you should try it on for size, too.