who. the clothing merchant
major. environmental studies
hometown. san fernando valley, ca
dream job. environmental lawyer
For some residents of Isla Vista, Saturdays serve as a way of becoming fashionably creative, not only in their ability to wear clothes, but also in their endeavors towards spreading fashionability to others.
Christian, a third year environmental studies major, is one of a handful of students that utilizes weekends to gain extra income through the reselling of clothes at not only his own home but also local parks and friends’ yards. Once a month he sets up shop at a local space, laying out vintage sweaters, shirts, and hats upon colorful blankets, meticulously placing them in an attempt to be eye catching, one that serves successful.
“I always put the most colorful shirts out front,” he stated as he folded a Patagonia sweater reminiscent of the 70’s with its baggy, bright blue sleeves. As customers entered through the white picket fence lining his yard, he quickly rushed over, introducing himself and welcoming them to the space. A smile sat frequently on his face as he adamantly worked towards finding them items they’d appreciate. With seemingly ease the clothes began to leave the blankets they once sat upon, as customers left one after the other with one more unique piece to add to their closet.
Initially beginning out of a hobby in high school, Christian would spend days at local thrift stores, sifting through second hand clothing to find items that he believed would appeal to not only his own wardrobe, but also others. Through these consistent interactions with thrifting, his business enabled him to make extra cash for recreational pleasure.
"I guess when I started doing this in high school it was kind of as a hobby, it was really cool to have my own shop, but once I got to college it kind of turned into a necessity at times, where I was running low on funds I would just open my closet, see a bunch of clothes, and it was a quick way to make some cash."
When describing his beginnings, Christian stated “I guess when I started doing this in high school it was kind of as a hobby, it was really cool to have my own shop, but once I got to college it kind of turned into a necessity at times, where I was running low on funds I would just open my closet, see a bunch of clothes, and it was a quick way to make some cash.”
Continuing the process of buying and reselling clothes, his business has turned into a form of sustenance at times when looming educational and living expenses grow too heavy.
Weekends, for Christian, thus become a days of extra work to stay afloat amidst his expenses. Utilizing the warm weather and Facebook event pages to invite individuals to his sales to shop through his vintage clothes collection.
When describing his use of social media to spread his events, he emphasized the benefit of having UCSB’s “Free and for Sale” page, stating “It’s pretty cool to have pages like Free and for Sale on Facebook where you can get your event and amplify your message across to a lot of people.”
When his sales do take place, upwards of 100 individuals come to look at his clothing, many leaving pleased with their trendy, second hand finds.
For Christian, selling clothes has been an act of exploration, one that has allowed him to utilize fashion as a tool of expression and survival that he continues to work with.
Days spent selling clothes under Goleta’s warm sun has pushed Christian to learn more than just marketing skills, but to also explore the use of fashion as a tool of deconstructing gender binaries. Where many find themselves limited to wearing clothing assigned to one gender or the other, Christian instead strays from these restrictions through his ability to look beyond the limits clothing manufacturers attempt to place through their products. As described in an interview, "this process and business has definitely blossomed my creativity and allowed me to experiment a lot more with my style and fashion sense, I don't buy clothes for one specific gender… I’ll wear different things and just experiment and see what I can come up with.”
For Christian, and many in Isla Vista, clothing has served as a tool of expression and reconstruction of ones identity. Through the consistent reselling of second hand clothes, he has forged a business that enables sustenance while also creatively engaging Isla Vistans to embark on a journey of exploration.