We recently connected with Dro and have shared our conversation below.

Dro, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Vintagely Velma was named after my grandmother, Velma Randall. She was originally from Georgia and moved from the Jim Crow South to Chicago in the 1940’s during the Great Migration, a time when Black Americans migrated North for better opportunities and to avoid brutal racism and violence of the time.

She went on to own businesses on the south and west sides of the city, VV, what I call it for short, pays homage to my grandmother as she inspired me to become an entrepreneur.

She was also quite a jazzy dresser herself! I remember seeing a photo of her from the 40’s when I was a child and she looked absolutely gorgeous. She had on a wide brim hat, white blouse, and a skirt. I believe that was one of many moments when I knew I had a love for all things vintage and history and I wanted to embody that.

Dro, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello, I’m Dro! I’m the owner and fashion stylist at Vintagely Velma. I’ve always had a love for fashion since my mother and grandmothers were also very fashionable themselves. I was taught to be fashionable as well. From dressing up for church to going to the theater, it was poured into me to make the world my runway. Vintage fashion became my specialty when I realized I had a love for history that I inherited from my father. I started dressing up portraying different eras and it became my signature. For years a friend told me that I should sell vintage clothing because of my style. I finally began selling pieces online and here I am today. I also have a background in fashion modeling, fashion illustration, design, and styling, so everything came natural and cohesive creating VV.

I strongly believe in the power of sustainable fashion, especially in an era of fast fashion which is immensely contributing in major waste in landfills. Not only do I promote vintage because of this, but also due to the quality of the clothing being much better than that of modern clothing. Wearing a piece of history, a unique piece that many people don’t own, makes selling and styling so much more exciting. It makes me elated to receive feedback from clients telling me how much they love items they’ve purchased from my shop as well as styling clients with one of a kind vintage pieces.

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

There are always ups and downs in business. Slow times can happen. What keeps my resilience is focusing on God and my purpose as a creator. I know I didn’t make it this far to give up. Every now and then I take breaks away from work and relish in simply enjoying vintage fashion in old movies to regroup and get inspired to keep going.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Some vintage clothing can come with flaws, I had to unlearn not paying very specific attention to details. When I first started selling vintage clothing, there were a few times when I missed observing and describing certain flaws in descriptions of items I was selling. This resulted in a couple of negative reviews. From that point, I learned to be extremely meticulous in observing and describing flaws if any on pieces I sell. This has resulted in more consistent positive reviews and buyer trust, which is enormously important to me. It also showed me to take failures as learning experiences.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vintagelyvelma?igsh=d3pyZzlyNGF1M3d0
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1NsJDUqHey/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Other: https://pin.it/13eCT5PPG

  https://www.ebay.com/usr/vintagelyvelma1

  https://posh.mk/AMx4ejwHuzb