Share Your Story - Sustainable Fashion with Jordan Kaplan of Mystic Thrifts

You guys! I am so excited to be officially kicking off the new feature of the AM Coffee Collective "Share Your Story"! I knew when I rebranded and made community the mission of the AM Coffee Collective that I wanted to use my platform to help other women tell their stories. When Jordan reached out to me, I knew she was the perfect person to officially get this party started! If you're interested in sharing your story with the AM Coffee Collective community, you can find out more info by heading over to the Share Your Story page! 

-Darrian, AM Coffee Collective

Sustainable Fashion for the Cool Kids

Hi, everyone! My name is Jordan Kaplan, (Jo for short), and I am so excited to have the opportunity to connect with you all and spark a conversation on this platform, (Thank you to the amazing Darrian for giving me this opportunity)!

To introduce myself, I’m a 20-something from the Sunshine State and I am currently a student in Birmingham, Alabama. I am passionate about almost everything. My mother would tell you that indefinitely. Ever since I was young, I remember always having a desire to fight for what’s right-changing from breaking up barbie arguments to debating in my university’s political science classes. I have seen enough unbalance in society to write a book. Because of this, I have made a choice to live a conscious life. I want my life to make a difference and the most significant way I can do this right now is to question what my money does after it leaves my hands.

For me, living a conscious lifestyle means being aware of the origins of where a product comes from. No matter how much I talk about how I want to contribute, my money will always speak for me. Now, how can I say that I support equal pay for employees and eco-friendly production when I buy my clothes from companies that barely pay their employees and continue to add to the world’s pollution? That wouldn't really add up.

I was faced with a problem. After years of being conflicted with where to buy my clothes, (I wanted to shop sustainable fashion, but going to the mall just seemed SO much more convenient), I decided to start thrifting + shopping locally when possible. After thrifting a few times, I realized that I absolutely loved the hunt! Although some might disagree, searching through racks of ugly pieces to eventually find that one AMAZING jacket or pair of boots made me feel like a million bucks. A lot of pieces I was finding were name brand and high-end. The only difference from buying new was that I was buying recycled items that weren’t manufactured in a sweatshop. To me, it seemed so wasteful that these jeans, blouses, and other items had so much wear left in them. But the best part is - I also found something that no one else was going to have!

Wearing my discoveries, I began to have people come up to me and ask where I bought my clothes! I could never show them because it was always something unique that I found in a vintage shop! I remember one time I was wearing this distressed denim jacket that I splattered paint all over, and my friends absolutely loved it! They wanted me to make them jackets too, but it never dawned on me that something that I enjoyed doing could actually become a business. That’s when I began to brainstorm and I realized that a lot of people think like me but don’t have the time to search through the aisles of a secondhand shop. Conscious fashion is smart and gives someone a style that is one-of-a-kind! Long story short, I took a leap and started showcasing my finds on Instagram through a vintage + upcycled shop called @MysticThrifts! It started out with a few followers, (my mom included), but it has recently grown into a nationwide community!

To sum up, I realize that this whole thing is just about being mindful of how we interact with the world around us. I feel like it is easy to get overwhelmed by the issues that are facing the fashion industry right now, (pollution, unethical treatment of employees, consumerism).

Here are 3 ways you can start living a more fashion conscious life today:

1) Begin to incorporate up-cycled pieces into your wardrobe. Pro tip: Take advantage of sale days at your local thrift. I have found that the best thrift stores are the small ones, the popular chains that we all know (ie. Goodwill or Salvation Army).

2) Shopping at small, local businesses and taking a look around some vintage shops benefit the local economy, reduces consumption, and it will definitely add some individuality to your everyday outfits. When I’m visiting a city I like to have a walk around town and see what the locals are wearing. What I have found is that every city has a different style and local businesses reflect that cities personality the best.

3) Closet swap with a bestie your size. We all have that friend with a pair of jeans we love, and you know he/she has been eying your favorite jacket. So let it go already! :)

Shopping sustainable fashion will always make a difference. You can email me at (mysticthrifts@gmail.com) or message me on Instagram @mysticthrifts with any questions or ideas that you have and I would love to connect with you all!

Thanks for reading, everyone + good luck on your conscious endeavors!

Jordan Kaplan - Founder of Mystic Thrifts

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