Online shopping is full of copycats

Let’s be real: the internet is full of a lot of the same stuff. From derivative content on social media to websites that all look the same, what was once a portal to new worlds and experiences has been feeling a bit dry recently, like I’ve seen all this stuff before. And now, even the products being sold to us — clothing, home decor, gadgets, and more — are looking eerily similar to one another.

This week on The Vergecast, guest host Mia Sato talks to YouTube fitness pioneer Cassey Ho (better known as Blogilates) about the well-oiled machine that is the dupe economy. Ho shares her experience creating her own line of athletic wear that sooner or later gets ripped off by countless copycats — and how she tries to fight back.

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Then, Mia brings an audio diary from a visit to Fabscrap, a textile recycling facility in New York that is working to save fabric and other materials from landfills. Fashion is a wasteful industry, not unlike tech — but luckily, there are people like the Fabscrap staff and volunteers who are working toward solutions.

Finally, Verge staffer Victoria Song swings by to help answer a hotline question about how to make the high-tech Clueless closet a reality. If you have a question for us, call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com.

For more on the topics we talk about today, start here:

• How dupes turned online shopping upside down
• Lululemon sues Costco over viral alleged “dupes”
• The US finally acknowledges textile waste in new report
• Your stuff is actually worse now
• Ghana becomes dumping ground for the world’s unwanted used clothes