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

Brielan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My business, Queenbee Vintage, started with a love of vintage clothing that grew into a deeper passion for sustainable fashion. While I enjoy sharing beautiful garments with my customers, I also want to create a greener method of consumerism.

Many of the pieces in my collection are at their last stop before the landfill when I find them. These items are often discarded for being stained, torn, or considered no longer functional/fashionable. Once I collect the pieces, I clean, repair, or upcycle them into a functional state, so they can then be resold and reused.

Every year, approximately 100 billion garments are created by the fashion industry, and as many as 92 million tons of these textiles end up in landfills. It is my goal to save at least a few more loads of textiles from being thrown out, and to spread the joy of recycled fashion. I believe that even the oldest pieces can work with the trendiest of styles!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Brielan Gale, owner, curator, and creative lead behind Queenbee Vintage. Through this business, I sell a selection of romantic, hyper-feminine vintage and upcycled clothing catered toward wannabe princesses and girly girls. My brand is all about indulging your inner royalty.

In the era of quick internet trends and fast fashion, I want to develop a brand that is known for being sustainably sourced at an affordable price point for all sizes. I take pride in selling quality pieces that are hand-picked secondhand for sizes XXS-4X. It is also important to me that customers feel capable of spending the same or less than they might at a fast fashion competitor. I want to show young consumers that purchasing secondhand can provide even more value than purchasing new.

Today, girly fashion is trending all over the internet and several unethical brands are popping up to keep up with the demand. I want Queenbee Vintage to be a sustainable option to shop trending fashion.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the most rewarding aspects of this business and creative project is sharing my joy for vintage clothing with a younger generation.

For a long time, shopping secondhand was frowned upon for being cheap, dirty, and downright unfashionable. Today, vintage clothing has skyrocketed in popularity, mostly amongst Gen Z, due to a counter-culture against low-quality fast fashion items. I love being a part of this movement where I can share my interest in sustainable fashion, as well as my love of girly aesthetics with young shoppers.

While my items are for a niche crowd, I believe they speak to a modern trend toward slower living and freedom of expression amongst all genders.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I began this business, I was selling pieces every few months on marketplace. Initially, I wanted to see if it was possible to make a little pocket money restoring vintage items.

Once I realized how rewarding it could be to give an article of clothing a new life, I felt strongly compelled to build an entire brand around vintage clothing.

It started off small, with only a box or two of vintage shirts and dresses that were collected over years of thrift shopping. Over the last year, I have grown the collection to hundreds of pieces, several of which are sold at local boutiques, markets, and on my online store.
As I developed an eye for age and quality while sourcing vintage items, I was able to begin selling more and bring this vision to reality.     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/QueenbeeVintageStore
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queenbee.vintage/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/queenbee.vintage.store/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@queenbee.vintage

Image Credits
All images by Brielan Gale and Julia Merijanian