Depop seller attempts to sell COVID train seat cover as crop top
A Central St Martin's fashion student has come under criticism after listing for sale a modified Chiltern Railways COVID-19 social distancing seat cover on the marketplace app Depop.
The light blue fabric signs are intended for covering unavailable seats on train services, reading “Keep this seat free to maintain social distancing when possible.”
The item was advertised on the marketplace platform for £15 in "Used/Good condition with different sizes available".
The ad went viral within hours and has been subsequently removed, with the morally questionable item prompting varying responses from users on twitter.
this is so sustainable fashion
— y.v (@teeehum) January 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/clajoonie/status/1347453704497221632?
depop sellers live in a whole different world I swear
— zo👹 (@ratcowboy69) January 8, 2021
A Depop spokesperson said: "We explicitly prohibit the sale of illegal and unlawful content on the app, including any stolen goods. This item clearly violates our terms of service, but as it has been removed by the seller and is no longer for sale on the platform, we will not be taking immediate steps to ban this user."
Chiltern Railways politely added: "Whilst we appreciate this new take on railway memorabilia, these items are there to help customers travel with confidence and we would respectfully ask that they are left in place."
The fashion student is now listing for sale an original, redesigned crop top inspired by the original seat cover.
