We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Regan Dunleavy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Regan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
After graduating from art school in 2019 I found myself scrambling to find a job in the fashion industry. The ultimate goal was to run my own business but at 22 I had no clue where or how to start. I landed a ”dream job” as a fashion design assistant in a small studio in Philly. I was quickly appalled by the amount of waste that was produced even on the small scale that this studio operated. Despite being entirely locally made and sourced this particular business was still contributing an overwhelming amount to landfills. Sustainable fashion was a vague concept that I had heard of through out undergrad but never taken seriously. My short-lived experience in the corporate fashion world forced me to take a closer look at what type of business I wanted to be apart of. My biggest hurdle was, how can I fuel my creativity and passions without creating new waste? I had always been a second hand shopper but this was purely motivated by financial savings rather than sustainability. Dipping faded denim into a dye bath had been a popular practice in my college days. It dawned on me that I could inexpensively source stained, faded, and discolored clothing items that were headed for the landfill and give them new life with the knowledge of manipulating a variety of textiles that I had. By using items that have been deemed unwearable by other second hand and vintage sellers as the canvas for my creativity I had solved my issues with production waste.
Regan, 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?
From a young age I was very passionate about art and creating. I attended the Maryland Institute College of Art where I earned a BFA in Fiber Art with a concentration in Experimental Fashion. My undergraduate program allowed me to explore my creative side and also provided resources for historical research. Post college I initially struggled to find a job that allowed my creativity to thrive, while stimulating me intellectually. A few months after graduation I began working for a well known local vintage boutique, Malena’s Vintage Boutique. Owner, Malena quickly became a close friend and mentor. The constant treasure hunting for merchandise and researching historical fashion pieces turned out to be the perfect fit for me. Malena encouraged my artistic passions by guiding me through the early stages of opening my hand dying vintage business. We have formed a strong partnership as I continue to mange her business alongside her, while my business finds creative ways to repurpose the items she may pass on for the boutique.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
My business had very few start up costs as it I started small and have slowly grown it larger. However, my initial funding came from making and selling face masks at the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic. Like many other crafters at the time, I used what supplies I had laying around. Selling this initial product gave my business some credibility and finances to expand to what it has become today.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think the building of my reputation has been helped by the multiple niches I fall into. I am able to appeal to the second hand and vintage shoppers as well as those that truly appreciate art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shopreeegan.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.e.e.e.gan/