Secondhand clothing is a staple of the broke college student lifestyle as businesses, young people and even Macklemore have recently contributed to a new, fashionable reputation for thrifted clothing. One way students have taken thrifting into their own hands is through online thrift stores.
Winthrop middle level education alumnus Destiny Cumbee started the online store, Vintage Kidz in February of last year, which has expanded into the Charlotte area, held several “pop-up” shops throughout North and South Carolina, created a line of merchandise, and will soon have its own website. The brand is focused on 80s and 90s style, as well as blurring gender norms and embracing androgyny.
“I started VK for two reasons. I love 80s and 90s culture, and I wanted to sell clothes that people would be comfortable in. I dress very androgynous and I wanted to create a brand that would be centered around that. I wanted to blur the lines of what is men’s wear and what is women’s wear,” Cumbee says. “I’d really like everyone to know that I am not a strictly online business. While I do post a lot of things online, I do most of my business in person. I travel to pop-up festivals and events and showcase my brand to a larger audience. By the time this article is published, I will have been involved in 6 pop up markets, with 4 being in the heart of Charlotte. I love being able to meet people who share a love for what we do.”
Since the beginning of Vintage Kidz, Cumbee has collaborated with fellow Winthrop student, Kaitlyn Dillard. “As soon as she found out my idea, Kaitlyn loved it and wanted to be involved. Ever since then she has been helping with everything, from being in charge of social media to ‘picking,’ to setting up for pop-ups, to modeling and doing anything that is needed.”
Sophomore theatre tech and design major Chloe Wright runs two online shops, Lemon Juice and Pink Lemonade. Wright says Lemon Juice began with a focus on upcycling, painting custom designs on denim, and reducing fashion waste. Last summer, Wright started Pink Lemonade as a more traditional thrift shop.
“I’ve always loved thrifting, just going in with an open mind and having no idea what you’re going to find. It’s so crazy, the stuff that you find sometimes. And I personally love the upcycling aspect of it because you find this thing that somebody donated that they didn’t want anymore, but you do just a little bit to it and you can give it a new life,” Wright says.
Wright says that anyone who is interested in starting their own thrift store should not be afraid to try. “If you want to try it, try it! Personally, I was very hesitant to try the thrifting aspect of it, because I had the shop Lemon Juice for a while. I had friends who do the thrifting stuff and I was unsure if people would respond well to it. But I love it, it’s the coolest community of people, and something that I do in my free time now gets me money for books and school.”
Junior theatre education major Calista Schultz has been running her account since last February, and enjoys finding clothing that fits her unique style and sharing it with others. “I buy things that I think I would wear, or that other people would wear instead of just buying things that I could maybe sell. I know some other shops make their own stuff and add stuff to it, but I just buy the nicest things I can find.” Schultz says. “I love thrift shopping, and I remember I used to think ‘oh this is so cute, but it’s an extra small or a 3X or whatever’. And I thought, ‘I can’t get it but somebody else would probably like this.’”
Taylor Evans, a junior theatre and mass communication double major started UrSistersClosett last summer. Evans says the shop was her sister’s idea, and Evans teamed up with her to raise money to study abroad. “My sister’s always been into fashion, and my family has been big thrifters in general. Our family goes to local thrift stores every weekend because my mom is a big DIY person. It’s something we’ve been doing for years and we just wanted to make some money off of it.”
While Evans’ shop is mostly for thrifting, she and her sister sometimes customize pieces. “If we do anything [to the clothing] we will bleach and tie dye to make things more cute and trendy. We also distress certain jeans and patch certain things to make it cuter, but nothing too fancy.”
Wright, Cumbee, Schultz and Evans are planning a collaborative pop-up shop in the Rock Hill area in mid-October. For the official announcement and details of the event, follow their online shops on Instagram at @vintage.kidz, @shopcatsandchamomile, @shop_pinklemonade and @ursistersclosett.
Photo: Kevin Seabrook/ The Johnsonian
