“You are your mother’s daughter”
When I was little, I never understood my mother’s world. She spent hours wandering through thrift stores, completely absorbed in the search for hidden treasures. I would trail behind her, bored and restless, wondering how she could find so much joy in racks of old clothes. The smell of fabric and dust filled the air, and all I wanted was for her to look up and notice me. At that age, I believed those clothes were stealing her away from me.
At home, our living room looked more like a studio than a place to relax. Boxes were stacked high, clothing racks lined the walls, and handbags waited patiently to be photographed. My mother ran her own online vintage boutique, though I did not understand what that meant at the time. I did not see her creativity or her business sense. I only saw her focus and the quiet determination that seemed to pull her attention elsewhere.
Image captured at 2nd Ave Alexandria, VA (8/12/2023)
Those lessons shaped my path and led me to study Fashion Merchandising. Through my studies, I have learned how creativity and strategy work together to build meaningful connections between people and products. I have developed an understanding of trend forecasting, buying, and visual presentation, while also focusing on sustainability and the ethics behind design. The same skills my mother used while running her boutique, from sourcing to storytelling, have become the foundation of my own approach to fashion.
Looking back now, I see that my mother was never just distracted. She was passionate, driven, and quietly showing me how to find beauty in unexpected places. I used to think I was growing into my own person, but now I understand that I was growing into her.
Being my mother’s daughter means more than sharing her love for fashion. It means carrying her lessons forward, blending her creativity and care with my own vision for a thoughtful and sustainable future in this industry. The world she built became the foundation for mine, and through her, I learned that every piece of clothing holds a story worth telling.
Image of my mother and me (2006)
What I could not see then was that she was doing much more than selling secondhand clothes. She was telling stories. Each piece she sourced carried a history, a glimpse of who might have worn it before and who could love it next. She styled, photographed, and marketed every item herself. She was curating, planning, and connecting with people through her passion for fashion long before I knew how meaningful that was.
For years, I wanted nothing to do with it. But somewhere along the way, her influence began to surface in me. When I started thrifting on my own, something felt familiar. I found myself drawn to fabrics, silhouettes, and details in the same way she had been. I began to see the charm in a forgotten label, the elegance in a well-made jacket, and the story in a faded tag. Without even realizing it, I had inherited her eye.
Thrifting and secondhand fashion gave me a sense of purpose. It showed me that sustainability is not just a practice but a perspective that values creativity, resourcefulness, and care. I began reworking vintage pieces, giving them new life and meaning. Through that process, I discovered a love for fashion that felt deeply personal. It became clear that style could be both beautiful and responsible.
Image captured from my time at Scottie Studios as a Fashion Marketing Intern. (6/27/2025)
Overhead shot of our event planning team and for VCUarts fashion show “Evoke”. (4/29/2025)
