Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bridgett Artise. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Bridgett, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Owning and running a business is a tough decision to make for most. You wonder if you are making the right decision or if it will be successful. I have owned my business for over 20 years and it did not take a lot of contemplation to start it. Upcycling was a hobby for me at first , definitely not something I thought I would turn into a business but something that tapped into something I didn’t know existed. I would of never guessed that upcycling/sustainable fashion would turn into the industry it has today.
Cutting up clothes and turning them into different things was at first very cathartic but it quickly transitioned to passion.
Making my first sale was a defining moment in allowing me to feel I could really do this. Then I was nominated very early on as a rising star by Fashion Group International and that boosted my confidence when I was normally the only upcycler at events, markets and shows.
Even though I had been featured in Lucky Magazine, where one of my sweaters were apart of an editorial, the most pivotal turning point was Random House stumbling across my brand at a collective.
Random House proposing I write the book about my brand, Born Again Vintage was very daunting as a newbie. How can I give away how I do things, is what I thought at first. Clearly, I made the decision to move forward despite my apprehension.
The book ended up being reviewed in over 60 national publications, allowed me to create sustainable classes for Fashion Institute of Technology and travel the world hosting workshops.
I most recently was nominated as a Circular Champion and received an award for pushing global sustainability. So when we talk about taking a risk, I will always say take the chance. You do not know how it will end but you can always say you did it!

Bridgett, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am Bridgett Artise, author, owner and designer of Born Again Vintage, founder of Sustainable Fashion Week, co-owner of House of BAV BK Style and teacher at Fashion Institute of Technology. I have been in the sustainable fashion industry for 22 years. Initially, I was just a designer. Cutting up vintage clothes and giving them new life. Selling my pieces at different New York designer markets then starting to travel to different markets worldwide eventually getting my first store order for a boutique in Japan. Ultimately, selling in stores in Los Angeles, Miami, Japan, Chicago, Houston, New Jersey and New York. When Born Again Vintage was published in 2008 I added event planner and teacher to my belt after producing a 4 day Pop Up In Montclair with 40 vendors, fashion show and book signing and creating How to Build a Vintage Business for FIT NYC.
Shortly after, I opened my first store where it housed several artisans and creatives that made sustainable or one of kind items.
Seeing the lack of support for small sustainable brands made me create Sustainable Fashion Week in 2019 to help emerging, independent and student sustainable designers from all over. All of these years dedicated to this industry has allowed me to open the first sustainable store at an outlet mall. (Tanger Outlets/Atlantic City) so I can continue to be on the frontlines spreading awareness where most needed.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Consistency matters. It is something I say as a teacher to my students all the time. I think knowing what you are good at and what people expect from your brand makes things easier but there is nothing more effective as being consistent. It that does not mean you cannot pivot or change things up but providing a consistent ethos makes all the difference. It allows potential customers and customers to be able to rely on what that can expect from your business. It not only helps your reputation but builds customer loyalty.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

One of my most memorable stories while on this journey was one that showed me that I was doing more than just cutting up clothes. As an up cycler, I get tons of donations since people rather give it to me knowing it will have a second life as opposed to putting it in a donation bin not knowing where it will end up. I received a bunch of items from the 40s from a colleague and she got them from a woman that was finally donating her sister who had passed away. It was a hard thing for her to do and held on to them for a long while. Once I got these donations I turned one of the 40s bathing suits into a beautiful 30s styled dress. I loved it so much I put it in my next show so i got some amazing images of it. Once I showed the colleague the images, she asked to send them to her so she can pass them along to the lady who made the donations.
The next time I saw this colleague she couldn’t wait to tell me the woman response to seeing the pictures. She told me she cried when seeing as it immediately made her think of her sister wearing the bathing suit at the beach. She was so happy that it had been remixed and had another new life. I never looked at what I did the same after that.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sustainablefashionweek.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseofbavbkstyle/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bartise/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgett-artise-sfw/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/house-of-bav-bk-style-atlantic-city