We recently connected with Michelle Nguyen and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to reduce fashion waste by giving clothes and textile a second chance. I thrift and resell clothes as well as design and produce apparels from secondhand textiles and clothing. My desire to design and produce clothes was met with a challenge to be environmentally sustainable. My first attempt at a sustainable fashion brand was to use eco-friendly/natural textile such as cotton, wool, and silk. Even though this is a more conscientious way of producing clothing I still felt it was too wasteful. The amount of leftover scraps and unused fabrics left me feeling guilty. I began reselling in 2020 at the start of the pandemic which put me in contact with mounds of secondhand clothing and textile. Thrifting isn’t a new concept to me and neither was designing and using thrifted clothing as a median but this was the first time I saw it as a way to combat fashion waste. Thus, my journey to save beautiful and quality clothing from the landfill and turn old curtains and bedsheets into modern day dresses begins.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a fashion reseller and designer. Art and design was a big part of my life growing up and although I enjoy many mediums, fashion has always let me be the most creative and outspoken. For many years, I only viewed this skill as a hobby because I was fed the idea that fashion is not stable and very difficult to break into. It still very much is but I also grew up and realize it’s not impossible and there’s plenty of room for new ideas. I left my full-time job in higher education in 2019 in pursuit of launching a sustainable fashion brand using eco-friendly textile. Although, using sustainable fabric is a good start I still felt I was being wasteful with the amount of unused fabric from just producing one garment. This brand was short-lived due to the pandemic when many brands and manufacturing sites were shut down for months or indefinitely. I pivoted my business to focus on reselling secondhand clothing and creating a fashion line using second hand textile, Emmi’s Label. For me, this is the most sustainable I can be. There is so much that goes unused in the secondhand world. Most of what is donated to thrift stores go unpurchased and dumped into the landfill. It’s a shame to see this because there are many quality garments and materials that get passed over. Some may see these items as trash but when I see them, I don’t just see another shirt or dress, I see the potential for a new idea whether through styling or repurposing. I’m most proud of the fact that I am using resources that are readily available which would otherwise be considered waste.

Being fashionable shouldn’t come at the cost of our planet or those involved in the industry. My purpose is to show others that you can dress well without polluting, make the most out of what’s already available, and still have fun with fashion. I offer styling tips on my social media using secondhand clothing, ways to mend flaws rather than trashing garments, and getting involved with your community to preserve the environment.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I started reselling via Poshmark and eBay which are great sites for resellers and has a wide customer base already. Getting sales still requires a lot of time and dedication but you don’t have to go out and find your own customers. Starting there helped me connect with customers and improve my customer service skills but I always knew I wanted to have my own website. My second year into reselling, I had a friend help me build a Shopify store. It was something new we were figuring out together and took several months but we did it and launched in November 2021. I was so excited and so proud but I also knew getting traffic to my site would be a challenge. It’s still a challenge as of now so I primarily make sales on the reselling sites. I’m continuously working on improving the site and my social media presence to drive traffic.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Running a fashion reselling business and working towards my fashion brand is a dream come true. I feel very lucky and happy to get to do this for a living. This mindset took two years to formulate because I was in constant fear of failing. When I first started I had no clue what I was doing and felt like a headless chicken the whole time. My moods were dependent on how much sales I made in a week. I didn’t know who or how to ask for help. My mental and emotional state was unpredictable and not healthy at all. I also isolated myself from friends and social events due to the pandemic and being laser focused on my business. I kept going because this is the first thing in my life that I knew I could do and do well once I figured it out. I definitely haven’t figured it all out but I know I’m improving little by little each month which is what really keeps me going. A year into reselling, I started to form better habits and ways to cope with stress and fear of failure. I read more books on entrepreneurship and personal growth, I started seeing friends and networking (even found a mentor), I also started working out and creating a routine outside of my business. Additionally, I realized that my goals are long term which means it takes time and nurturing to sustain and as long as I’m making progress and seeing growth than I know I’m succeeding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.emmiscloset.net
• Instagram: emmiscloset_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopemmiscloset
• Other: Tiktok: emmiscloset

Image Credits
1. Michael Chang 2. Duy Ta 3. Jonny Ngo 4. Jonny Ngo 5-8. Myself