Tuesday, November 10, 2015

BIG NEWS: I'm Opening a Vintage Clothing Shop!

PVTG_1- PVTG_2 PVTG_3 PVTG_4 PVTG_5 PVTG_6 PVTG_7 PVTG_8
All pieces from the Pieceology Vintage line

Photos by Chelsea Laine Francis

I promised I'd let y'all in on the secret about the project I've been hinting at and working so hard on for the past couples months. Well, this is it! Introducing Pieceology Vintage! A curated collection of vintage clothing and accessories from Italy and beyond. Everything you see in these photos (minus the rings and bracelets) are all pieces from my line. I've gotten a lot of questions since I made the announcement on Instagram this past weekend so I'm here to answer them for you now!

Why did you decide to start this?
Ever since I can remember I've been interested in fashion and around high school I decided I'd love to open my own clothing boutique one day. For years I'd thought about how I could do that in a way I felt was special. I didn't just want to start selling clothes from wholesale retailers in sizes S, M, L and 5 of this same shoe and 10 of that same dress. (Disclaimer: There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but it just never felt like the right fit for me.) So, I started playing around with ideas of how I could start something and make it truly unique to me. Well, fast forward to my trip to Europe this summer...

What was the inspiration?
As I've mentioned before, I went to the Cinque Terre at the beginning of my Europe trip to participate in a creative workshop hosted by Justina Blakeney. While at the workshop I met some really talented people, one of them being Gina Pagnella, an American who has been living in Italy for the past 10 years. She had also recently started a vintage wholesale business over there. We hit it off and I could tell we had a very similar vision/style right away... And that's when the light bulb went off! I needed to be selling vintage clothing from Europe back home in Austin! Italy holds such a special place in my heart now and I'm so excited to continue my love affair with that beautiful country through this business.

Where do you get the clothes?
A lot of the vintage I buy comes from Europe, specifically Italy. The mules and the belt in these photos are from there. Other things I pick up when I'm out thrifting at flea markets and I also get some of my pieces from other vintage wholesalers in the states. In addition to vintage, I will also be carrying different jewelry and accessories from makers in Texas, Europe and other places in the states. Currently I'm carrying lines from makers in Houston, Austin and Italy. I wanted to support other local and small businesses by featuring their items in my full collection. It's so rewarding and valuable to support your peers and I am very passionate about that being a part of my business model as well.

Where will the clothes be available for purchase?
There will be no physical location as of right now. I will only be selling online on the Pieceology Vintage web site (coming this December!), on Instagram, at weekend flea markets, possibly music festivals, by appointment, and at pop-up shops. I am hosting my first ever pop-up at The Paper + Craft Pantry here in Austin on December 13th. See here for more details about the event!

I hope this post gave you a better idea of what is in store for my shop! If you have any other questions please feel free to post them below in the comments or email me at april@pieceologyvintage.com. Yeah, I've got my own email address! Super legit, y'all!

I also wanted to give a shout out and thank you to Corey Carbo for designing my bad ass logo + helping me bring my brand to life, Chelsea Laine Francis for taking my photo, Pei Sim for all the guidance and advice about starting a small business + allowing me to host an event in her space, The Paper + Craft Pantry, which is having it's grand opening this week! And lastly, a big thanks to my mom for believing in me and encouraging me to get off my butt and start this thing!

It's gonna be a wild ride, y'all! Stay tuned here and at the Pieceology Vintage Instagam account for more updates.

No comments:

Post a Comment

UA-43004570-1