Haute Talk with Jessica Schwartz of ReHumanize | Rewearing the Future

What if the future of luxury fashion isn't about buying more, but about valuing what we already have?

In this episode of The Lexy Show, Lexy Silverstein speaks with Jessica Schwartz, a sustainable fashion advocate and founder of The Resale Shop, a platform focused on extending the life cycle of clothing through resale and mindful consumption. Jessica brings a fresh perspective on how fashion lovers can embrace style while challenging the industry's culture of overproduction and waste.

Lexy and Jessica explore the power of resale, why secondhand fashion is becoming a major force in the industry, and how consumers can shift their relationship with their wardrobes. They discuss the challenges of building a more circular fashion economy, the importance of quality over quantity, and why resale should be seen as an opportunity rather than a compromise. Jessica also shares insights on how brands and shoppers can work together to reduce fashion waste and create a more sustainable future. This conversation is a reminder that the choices we make with our clothing have an impact long after we leave the store.

Follow Jessica Schwartz and The Resale Shop:
 📍 Instagram: @rehumanizetheworld

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Lexy Show, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who's ready to make more mindful choices for themselves and the planet.

Transcript

Lex-Jessica Schwartz

 [00:00:00] Welcome to the.

Welcome to the Lexi Show Fashion that gives a dam where we expose fast fashion and celebrate the brands and products actually making a difference for our planet. I'm Lexi Silverstein, and today I'm talking with Jessica Talia, the founder of Rehumanize, a circular fashion and upcycling brand dedicated to repairing the relationship between humans and the planet through sustainable fashion.

If you're new here, head to lexi silverstein.com for information on sustainable fashion and eco-conscious living. And if you love what you hear, subscribe and share this episode. It helps more than you think. Jessica, welcome.

Hello. Hi, how are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm good. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me today. I am excited to learn more about everything you do and just chat. Usually I run through some answers to some frequently asked questions. And then if you have any other follow-up questions, I of course can answer those as well.

And then we just jump on into the al podcast questions, if that works for you. Yeah, perfect. Sounds good. It's recorded audio and video. I put the video on YouTube and then I use it for a short social snippet. Only if you're okay with that. If not, I can always put like a graphic. That's okay.

Perfect. And then the questions that Abby sent over are definitely like a good guide of what we'll be sticking to. I stick pretty close to the questions, but I also love it to be super conversational. So if there's something that you say that answers like a later question, no worries. I'll gear my questions around your answers.

You don't have to gear your answers around my questions. And then if there's something that like you answer a later question, I just won't ask the later question. Or if you say something and I'm like, oh, that makes me think of another question, I might throw another one in there. And then it's edited, so no stress if you need to like restart a statement or if there's background noise or you need to get the door or something like that.

I have a dog that occasionally loves to bark, so no, no stress there. I always just say it's like a conversation between friends. If you need anything to be like edited out or need to restart, no worries. And then once it's live, Abby will send over a link to all of the posts that being the podcast episode, the YouTube video, and the social snippet.

I always add people as a collaborator on the social part just so we can get as much reach as possible. And I definitely always encourage people to accept it. And then if it doesn't go with your feed feel free to remove it from the main grid, but no worries if not. And then other than that, do you have any other questions?

No. And how long have you been doing this podcast? So I've been doing it for probably five years now. I started it freshman year of college. So we're on season nine now, but I remember I used to live in a dorm and I didn't wanna disturb my roommates, so I would take it from like the bathroom in my dorm.

And now at least I live in a one bedroom apartment, so it can take it in my kitchen. Cool. But yeah it's been going for a little while there. Awesome. We can get started if that's good with you. Yeah. Okay, perfect. Let's start at the beginning. What is Rehumanize and what inspired you to create?

So Rehumanize is a circular fashion brand built on repairing the relationship between [00:01:00] humans and the planet through upcycling. When I came up with the brand, it honestly wasn't originally tied to fashion. It was the name I came up first and the name was. Hold on. I got nervous. No worries. It's my first podcast. Oh my gosh. I am honored. Do not stress at all. And totally feel free to restart if you want to. No worries. Okay, cool. Thank you. When I came up with the brand, it wasn't originally tied to fashion. It wasn't really tied to anything. It was about addressing the increasing sense of disconnection that humans are feeling from the planet, from each other, even from ourselves.

I think that has been like a very prevalent theme amongst a lot of people I've spoken to throughout the years. And I was trying to get, find a way to get the message of reconnection and bringing that kind of spirit back into our. Daily activities in our lives that have become so disconnected. I was honestly hesitant to go into fashion at first because there is already so many clothes that exist and so many problems in the fashion industry.

I really didn't want to contribute to that. I think also subconsciously I had felt very shy about going into fashion and it felt like telling people like, oh, I wanna be a Disney [00:02:00] princess. Oh, like cute, but be realistic now. Come on. So it was always my dream, but I was always just a little bit.

Hesitant for those two reasons. So I went to grad school, I graduated college and my senior year I was like, oh, like the name is Rehumanized and I'm gonna start this brand. I just don't know what it will be yet. And I went to college with that intention of starting the brand and just feeling like it would just take shape as it went along.

And then on the weekends I would go thrifting with my friends as I think a lot of people like to do. And it clicked to me then , oh, so many clothes already exist. I think the moment I really like felt that especially was I went to, I live in San Diego and I went down to the bins, in San Ysidro and I've never seen that many clothes in one spot.

And they were perfectly good clothes and like they were awesome. Like I took home some, I took home a fruit. People dress like it was nice and. They were just all going to go to [00:03:00] landfill. And that was like a aha moment for me of confusion and a way to get into the fashion industry without contributing to being part of the problem.

I felt if there is a way we could integrate these clothes, these perfectly good textiles into the supply chain without creating more from raw materials, and I can make that more mainstream, like that's the mission I want to go after. And then the next step I.

Was overcome or Okay. The next hurdle was I didn't know how to sew and I knew okay, if I wanna make this brand, I need to make MVPs nineteens show proof of concept and do all of these things like I really need to learn to sew. And I'd actually been wanting to learn to sew for many years.

And I was always a little hesitant about trying because what if I was bad at it? That would derail a lot of my plans and it would just be upsetting. So I actually credit Harry Styles for that because I was going to a concert of his and that was really, okay, wait, I don't like how I phrase it. Oh, like the final push I [00:04:00] needed to actually get in front of the sewing machine was, I really wanted to create my own outfit for a hairy Silas concert.

And so my roommate put her sew machine in front of me and taught me how to turn on and turn it off. And then from there it was just. A process of learning and practicing and being really bad at it. The outfit I made was so bad, but it by then the hardest part was over and that was just taking the first step.

And learning to sew. And then from there, I felt like I had the pieces of the puzzle I knew I wanted to work with to create the brand. And yeah, it was all the ingredients were there and I was ready to start putting them together and experimenting. I'm obsessed. There's so many things that you mentioned that I'm like, I wanna touch on where I think that is something that also like.

It is daunting to go into the fashion industry. And something I experienced was people, I just put, made a post about this where it was like, every day's not a fashion show, babe. What are you dressing for? And then I posted two days ago or something where I [00:05:00] was like, life actually is a fashion show.

Thanks. And I was like, that's something that I had to learn over time that I'm like, just because it's like there's so many, fish in the Sea or whatever. Like it's a, what is the saying, like Big pond? I don't know. But just because it's like already out there doesn't mean that, we still can't make an impact or be in it as well.

I love that Harry Styles is what got you over that hurdle. I'm obsessed with that man. So we have this in common. I what concert did you, was it for Love on Tour? Yeah. I didn't get. Tickets for the whole thing. And then it was like the birthday shows he like randomly announced and I was like, this is like my chance.

And I somehow got very lucky. Ticket master. Ah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. I have in fact lost the ticket Master war for his current tour. But if there's a will, there's a [00:06:00] way we need to talk offline though, because Yeah. And the options. Okay, I, yeah, I need to make it happen. Anyways, yeah. But I think that is so amazing and I think that is really inspiring is even if the first thing, which I'm sure it was still beautiful, but the first thing that you made was maybe not necessarily the best.

I'm sure. It was amazing. That's was also like for me where I was just like, I'm not, I'm honestly not very good at sewing. I did go to a fashion school. I should be better at sewing, but I'm not, and I think like just, putting yourself in front of that sewing machine and doing it and again, getting over that first hurdle is so important.

And then, improving and honing in on that skill and all that jazz. So you create custom pieces for people. Why is the made to order model so important to you? Yeah, so I think the way clothing currently is where it exists and then you go shopping and you pick it out, is not a method that really fosters an intimate connection between the individual and their clothing.

[00:07:00] And it also leads to a lot of overproduction and extraction of natural resources and a very quick trend cycle. So I think if we can reimagine that. Model. And instead of the garment coming first and then the person coming later, what if the person came first and the garment was something that they had a hand in building?

And I'd be curious to see, and my obviously my prediction is that would make a difference in the way we consume and just even our mindset around consumption and how we Yeah. No, completely. I think like when you have a piece, I think people talk about it a lot for like jeans or something.

If you have a pair of jeans that fit you like just right. Like those are gonna be in your closet for like forever. And so it's like, why are when we can note this and when we know like that, when something fits you just right, you're gonna wear it all the time. You're gonna invest in it, you're gonna whatever.

Like why is it that we're still just making. 50 [00:08:00] pairs of clothes for one style and then if it sells and the excess goes to landfill or something like that. And I really think that if we started, and if more of these fashion brands that were out there, did the made to order, made to order, what is the word I'm looking for?

Model. Yes, thank you. Did the made to order model that we would have a lot less waste and that people would be more encouraged to keep something in their closet for longer and wear it over and over again, which is inherently more sustainable. Which is also something I like to talk about a lot where I'm just like, I like sustainability doesn't always have to be buying from a sustainable brand.

Like obviously if you're gonna buy something new buy it from a sustainable brand, but literally just re-wearing what's already in your closet is more sustainable. And you might already be doing that and not notice. It's sustainable. Totally. And I think it's also super natural for people to grow and change and want their clothes to grow and change [00:09:00] with them.

And I think that's the perspective I'm trying to bring is that clothes are not disposable and they're not static either. They can be reimagined and grow with you as well. Exactly. Yeah. That's been something too that like you can literally double your own closet if you look at the pieces you already have and figure out other ways of wearing them.

Like I have a maxi skirt that I really like and I've worn a bunch, but I was like, I wanted to style it yesterday and I wanted to do it in a new way. And so I ended up just like wearing it as a dress and then pairing a jacket over it so that it looked like both a mini skirt and a dress if I took the jacket off and I was like, I didn't even double my closet there.

I tripled it. I made it to a dress anime skirt, and. Now, and if we just, again, like you were saying, reimagined our pieces, like we would have them for longer. I think that something I talk about a lot is [00:10:00] just and really have been practicing in my own life lately, is just like slowing the fuck down.

And if like I want something to think it through before I purchase it and if I go back to that thrift store and it's gone or I put it in my depop cart and it's gone, then it wasn't meant to be. Or if I'm still thinking about it like over and over again after it sold, then I can do a quick Google image reverse search and try to find something similar.

That's my that's my trick of the trade Google image. Reverse search. It does. That's actually a really good idea. It does wonders. Let me tell you, half of my closet is from that. So what does ethical production actually look like for in a day-to-day for your brand? I would say I shouldn't start with that's a bad story.

Oh, you're so fine. I do that all the time. And I say every other word me do. I did it again. Ethical production for this brand looks like using exclusively what already exists instead of using raw materials. And from there that kind of lays the parameters to what we create and draw inspiration from the, lemme start over.

Ethical production for Rehumanize looks like using exclusively what already exists and reimagining the form, shape, function, style of that into a new [00:11:00] life. I love it. I think that's great. And I think similar to what we've been talking about is just sustainability doesn't have to be one thing.

It can be upcycling, it can be rearing, it can be renting, it can be borrowing, it can be all these different things. And so I think it's really amazing what you do. And I'm really bad at sewing, so anyone who can sew, I'm immediately impressed by, you know how when you sew you have to lock in your stitches?

Yeah. Like a little back stitch first and then back stitch at the end. Yeah. The entire first year I sewed mind you, like no one taught me. And I don't know why I didn't really use YouTube as a resource. I was sewing all my lines back and forth. And I was like, just impossible to get a straight line.

Like how do you do a straight line forward and backwards for every single thing? And then I don't know when it clicked to me that's just for locking in. So it's definitely a process and I started out pretty bad and it's freeing to be able to fail and start at the bottom and then, you can [00:12:00] only work your way up from there.

Yeah, I love that. I think that's encouraging to hear. And I think that's something that I've also, I had a friend of a friend who was looking to get into the fashion industry and was looking for advice and I was just like, literally just put yourself out there and see what happens and apply to things and like whatever.

And the worst that happens is someone says no. And I was like, you'll literally like. Every time you get I don't like the word in this sense, but every time you kinda get rejected it like teaches you and you get better then at getting rejected because in life you're gonna get rejected for at some point in time for whatever reason it may be.

And so I think along those lines is like failing and getting back up is so important. And super out there. Really random example, but I used to do figure skating when I was like literally four years old. And I didn't pass one of the [00:13:00] classes or something, so I ended up just quitting. And then every time I've gotten, I was just thinking about this for some reason I think it was, 'cause I've been reading a lot of I can't, like hockey, romance books.

He did rivalry happy in a, in a. In a ice hockey romance book phase still has me in it. And I was like, ice skating would be so fun. And then my boss texted me and she was like, we should go ice skating. And I was like, okay, so like everyone's feeling this way, let's go ice skating. And I was like, and now that I'm like an adult and whenever I think it's if I just fall on the ice, like who cares?

'cause it's not gonna really hurt that bad. And then I can get back up and then every single time I'll get better and better. And I was like having this whole internal conversation with myself and it's so out there, but I feel like it applies to sewing and everything in life where it's just be okay with failing a little bit and then you'll like you failing won't be as scary.

Totally. I'm literally looking at my sewing machine and every single time I get on a podcast I talk about how bad I'm, I am at sewing and now I'm like, ah, I can teach you. I love teaching people I think it's super fun. And talk about like making a difference in people's lives and leading them down a path where they can mend their own clothes.

I think it's something really empowering and just like fun. Oh my god, no, completely. That's also something every single fricking sentence I say is just a repeat of something I've already said, but I think [00:14:00] that's so important is like learning how to do basic sewing skills. Even if it was just like sewing a button back on.

I remember I had a button pop off of something and I, like at me and my friend, I was going over to my friend's house or something and we were about to head out and I was just like, do you really quickly have a needle and thread? She was like, yeah, and I really quickly sewed the button back on and she was so amazed that I like.

Just did that. Or even the other day, I, my friend's birthday party happened and she was doing this super cute craft where they make those like birthday crowns that you see on Pinterest all the time. The ugly ones. Yeah. It was so fun and so cute. And I always make it, but I never embroidered it before.

And everyone was really nice and was like, oh, you're like so good at the embroidery part. And I was like, this I can do this is like a basic stitch. I put it in one hole and I like just go around and I was like, I'm good. This I can do. But I was like, having those basic sewing skills is a life changer.

And then even if you go a little bit more beyond that and learning how to hem things and [00:15:00] tailor things I really think that's a life changing skill for our closet that we don't, not many people have anymore. Like I remember in. I think it was middle school. We used to take a home ec class or whatever, where we had to learn how to sew a pillow or something like that.

I have no idea if that's still an option in school. I'm sure maybe it is, but I'm just like, I feel like every single person I like, the more I talk to people the less I'm finding people that know how to do like these basic sewing skills that I'm like, ugh. We, if we all took a second and learned how to, I'm sure it would save a lot of our clothes in our closet.

Yeah. So I will definitely take you up. I know like how to sew. I think it's more just, I want the piece to be done the second I start making it. And that is called impatience. Whoops. Can you tell us what the upcycle bar is for someone who's never heard of it before? Yeah, so the Upcycle Bar is an interactive, immersive, circular fashion experience.

I think sustainable fashion and circularity are a lot of big concepts and big words that are thrown at us and marketed to us, but feel very unaccessible and a little bit confusing. And the upcycle bar aims to make it a bit more tangible and a bit more like the agencies in your hands versus another brand or another entity's and hands.

So in essence, the way I describe it, the inspiration for it is remember ice cream sundae bars? When you were little. It's like that, but instead of ice cream, [00:16:00] it is closed. We're working with pre loved garments and instead of hot fudge and sprinkles, we are putting on little ese and Okay, we might have to end this out because I do have my m and m pants on oh my God, you're so fine.

I'm. Literally in sweats as well okay. But the appliques are all made from pre loved fabric scraps. And the idea is then you decorate your clothes with these almost like stickers. You place them and then we sew it on for you live and you go home with a brand new redesign piece. I love that.

I have some thoughts on it, but I'll share after I ask this question. How do you think that these, like hands-on events play into the design of your brand? Or why is it so important that people participate in things like this? Totally. I think going back to before it was even a fashion brand, the idea of connection was really what I wanted to bring into the world.

And I, my mom's a psychologist, so I'm always looking at the psychology and anthropology behind our daily act. I just find that's a really interesting actually. But I, the experience of the up upcycle bar is such a cornerstone to the brand and its identity. I feel like it's really [00:17:00] the soul of what this brand seeks to create.

And that is community, that is experience. Like it's one thing to hear about something and learn it, and it's another to do it with your own hands and see it with your own eyes. And I think bringing that agency and. Back to the consumer is something really important, especially in a way where fashion is such a, like veiled closed door system.

To be your own creator and your own designer not only gives you a perspective of what it's like, and then like people will be like, oh oh, so there is no such thing as an ethical $5 shirt because this took 10 minutes and this is just like sewing the star on. It doesn't take two minutes to sell on, but but, and it gives that opportunity to peek behind the curtain and gain a little more empathy and understanding and put yourself in garment workers' shoes for even a, just to see the care and thought and how far back it goes. Things we don't see as well as I, the intention of the interactive, immersive [00:18:00] experience is to bring a different meaning to clothes and just functional garments or something.

Aesthetically pleasing to look at. My intention is that with the Upcycle Bar, people are building a memory as well. They are building as they're getting their pieces sewn on as they're designing it, as they're with their friends, as they're with their community. They are capturing a little memento of that moment, of that time in life, that stage in life.

And they're really adding a sentimental value into the piece. And then that piece therefore is more meaningful than something that was not created by them and has more value and is less likely to be thrown away. Yeah, completely. I think, again, you touched on so many things that are important. I always say that with like sustainability and being in this environmental industry, it can be not always the happiest of [00:19:00] topics.

And so I think feeling like finding. Community and filling your time with doing things like this where it's like super inspiring. And every time I go, I know we've talked about LA Climate Week separately, but like every time I go to an event for like LA Climate Week, I literally walk away and I'm like, oh my God, I can save the planet.

In fact, I can save the whole universe. And I think that things like that are really important because it's not always like that. Like climate anxiety is very real. It's something totally a lot of us deal with. And I think going to these things where we're able to upcycle and able to teach people about sustainability while making it fun and entertaining and getting a fun piece out of it is so important.

Because that's another thing is like with sustainability, sometimes I'll bring up like the word sustainable or the environment. Oh my God, I literally had this happen where I was getting my hair cut. In Florida, so eh, makes sense. But the person asked me like, what I did for a living, and I was like, oh, like I, I work in like sustainable fashion, like fashion for the planet, and it really turned this person off from the conversation.

And I was like, it's because I brought up sustainability, I brought up in the environment, like the second, sometimes those I hate saying the, like buzzwords because they are buzzwords, but I'm like, but they're also just what I care about buzz words. Yeah. But whatever. I bring up those buzzwords.

I, I like find that people get really turned off from the conversation or like vegan, vegetarian, like I have always noticed that the second I bring up I'm a vegetarian, someone's immediate response is to go oh, I was a vegetarian once for blah blah, blah time when I was this years old. And I'm always just that's really cool.

I, it's okay. It's okay that you're not it's okay if you never were a vegetarian. I'm not here to judge you. I just don't want to eat meat. And I think that it's something about these terms that we've gotten in people's [00:20:00] heads that like, we're gonna judge you if you're not doing this. So being able to go to something like an upcycle bar, and get a fun product out of it and be around cool people that are also getting their stuff upcycled and then get a fun like product out of it is so important.

Because it goes to that storytelling aspects of sustainability where we just make it more like digestible and it's oh, have fun and get a new piece. But then it's also but did you know that this is actually, so yeah. You touched on so many things. I think one of them is making sustainability accessible.

It's not super accessible as it is. And I want to put I truly believe if people were given the choice and knew the ramifications, they would choose the right thing. But unfortunately, we live in a very like, convoluted, complicated world, and that becomes hazy and that becomes unclear. But I believe people have good intentions and if you can make those good intentions easier and like the path of least resistance and like fun, I think it's a [00:21:00] lot easier for people to be able to opt into that.

As well as I think,

wait.

Oh, I think there's something to be said about integrating sustainability into culture in a like fun, seamless way where it's not oh, I'm doing this because like I feel pressure to, or it's the right thing to do, but oh, like this is just like the cooler option and actually it's really cool to do this.

And that's like the cultural norm or like the desired state. And so I think part of what the Upcycle bar seeks to do is elevate the role of circular fashion as not just a bandaid, but actually as the desired norm. And I think if we keep sustainability as like a siloed thing, and it's very like unfortunate, obviously that has gotten to that point where it's become a very loaded word.

If we can turn it back into a fun word or like a sexy word, if it's the norm, then it's suddenly. I'm trying to think of an example of a brand that does this really well. I don't know. Or like an artist or something. That's what I was gonna say. I was like, I feel like I see more like creators talking about, but now that we're talking about it, I'm like, I can't think all of a sudden I've never seen a single person on my for you page and I don't know a single person's name.

I guess the idea is like adding cultural [00:22:00] currency to. Doing the right thing and doing things that are better for the planet and the people. And we as humans, we get to decide what's cool, what's in what's not. And if we choose to prioritize those things and elevate those things in our society, I think intersectionally that's gonna be a lot better for everyone.

Yeah, I think that, I just had this conversation the other day and I was just like, guys, the planet will still be here. It's, the issue is that we will not be, that was dark, but True. Yeah. Like it's gonna be fine. It's about if you wanna make it about us, like it is about us. Yeah.

And I think that's something that I've learned a lot too in my time of trying to get this across to people is that they don't really. Care until they care. And I, again, always use this example, but my lovely brother, he is like a big meat eater and I'm vegetarian and him, and I'll have like literally we will come for blood when we get in arguments about fricking milk.

Like he, he likes whatever the normal cow milk is. And I'm like a big oat milk, almond milk, girly. Not even necessarily 'cause of any reason of the fact that I'm just horribly lactose intolerant. So I, that's always how the argument ends when he's like trying to get me to drink regular milk and I'm like, I literally cannot I cannot.

I'll be fucked, dude. But he, I mean he's great and he cares about the environment and all of this stuff, but he, that's something that will like. Butt heads on. And he has recently gotten really into having plants in his apartment. And he has them like everywhere. Him and his girlfriend have so many fricking plants, they're like doing their own garden.

And he talks about how it was really helpful for him because it was like he had like literal life in his apartment and it made him feel like happy. 'cause he saw this life like growing and every time he saw like a new leaf on something, he was like, that's he was like, that's like my kid that's like my new child.

And so he got really into these plants and I, he came over to my apartment and I have like my two composters and I have all of these things that I only have one plant. I'm actually a horrible plant mother. I am very overbearing. I feel like they need water. Every 20 minutes, like I am scared that they're gonna die.

And then in my attempt to keep them alive, I kill them. I have one plant that's doing really well though, so we're making strides. But I, in my attempt to keep this plant alive, I was telling him about my compost or about how I just posted my podcast episode with them this week, actually. But there's this thing called sa Save us Water.

And like when you heat up, when you turn on your shower or whatever, take a shower, there's like those few minutes where your shower is heating up or something like that, or like maybe you're just doing something else before you jump into the shower. And you can put this thing, it's basically if you were to just put a bucket in your shower to save the water.

But it's like a more gorgeous aesthetic version of that. And I was telling him that I'll use that water to then water my plant so that I'm not just i'm reusing water or anything like that. And he found that really interesting. And so then because of that, he's bought a composter. I sent him like a link to the Save Us thing and we were able to meet at that conversation of plants, but then talk about sustainability and do these more sustainable things.

And I think that's something that's also really important is like meeting people where they're at and understanding that as amazing as it would be to have everyone on the planet just care about the planet, you sometimes have to make it personal. Because again, the world will be here, but we will not.

So this is an US [00:23:00] problem if you are currently standing on this planet. Totally. I think it's super important to me again, like being in the sustainability field to make it as approachable and as inviting as possible. And it's not a zero sum game if you can do one thing that already makes a difference and like you, we're not asking you to become a new person.

We're not asking you to do every, that's kinda a weird thing to say. But I think also placing, I think it's really easy to place the blame on individuals. And I understand like people are scared and it's a very scary situation, but the way our world is designed currently is not meant to build sustainable systems really, or to enforce that or make it any easier.

So I don't really put the blame on individuals because it's often inaccessible to like better quality clothes cost a lot of money. If you're in college and you don't have a ton of money. Like these options are marketed to you and it's very tempting. So again, like meeting people where they are [00:24:00] at and providing alternatives that are just as accessible, but have different impacts.

Yeah. No, completely. I think that's something that is so important where it's like if you have these, there's so much information out there, and especially nowadays, it's confusing as hell. I don't know what's, say I feel like a boomer. Like I'm falling for these fricking like raccoons jumping on a trampoline video.

Like I am no better than any other person. I am literally falling for so many AI videos. It's ridiculous. Thanks. And then I don't even notice, and then I'll see someone post about it like. Days later being like, did everyone see this video? 'cause it was ai. And I was like, oh my God, I didn't even blink. I didn't even think twice about it.

So it's like a scary kind of world we're living in right now. And it's gonna be for the next few years as we, and hopefully not beyond that, but but as we like, navigate this new world we're living in, and I think since there's so much information out there, like what you were saying, of just like making it more accessible, it's, I completely agree, it's not on the consumer.

I think we need to push for legislation that is out there to ensure that every brand that is out there needs to be sustainable and ethical. And that because of that every brand will be sustainable and ethical, thus consumers only are able to shop [00:25:00] sustainably and ethically. That is my ideal world. But I think that.

Like if you are as a, an individual, as a consumer looking to get more into sustainability or whatever or learn more about this. It's, again, I use this word a lot, but it's daunting to just like start it's like where the hell you can start. And yeah, making things easier. I work for a company called Wolf and Badge, and I think that it's really great because everything on the website has been screened for, like ethical sustainability, independent, like small business this, that.

And you can filter your search. And so if you want pieces that are upcycled or you want pieces that are, recycled cotton or something like that, like you can. Filter your search so that you find pieces like that. And I'm like it's cool from a shopping point of view and there's so many good things about it.

I do think that if you're [00:26:00] like new to the sustainable shopping space and you wanna figure out how to get started, like sites like that or things like that are so helpful because it does the research for you or like with you if I wanna upcycle something, but I'm not necessarily the best at sewing and I go to the re the upcycle bar and I pick something out and you sew it for me.

And then I can be like, oh like I have this upcycle piece now. And they took it they did it and they sewed it for me. Which is super helpful 'cause I don't have those skills yet, but maybe that's inspire someone to then want to learn how to sew or they get to go around being like, oh my God, thanks, it's upcycled and like whatever.

I designed it. Yeah, I designed it. Exactly. I love. When that happens, where I'll I took like multiple ring making classes, and so I have a few rings that I've made, but I'm like, half of the class is the person helping you make the ring? Like I'm like, I probably maybe made like 50% of [00:27:00] this, but every single time someone compliments it, I'll be like, oh my God, I made it.

Thanks. And I think that's such a fun thing. So to be able to be like, oh my God, thanks. I designed it. And then people will be like, oh my God, really? And then they'll be like, yeah, I went to this upcycle bar. And then it spreads the word and it gets people excited. I just think that is such a great way of spreading the excitement, taking, making it easier for people and getting them motivated to be a part of this industry.

Basically just reiterated everything you already said, but. One thing about me. I love to Yap. Anyways, what I always like to ask my guests this, what are some rapid fire ways that you would, tips that you would give to people who are just starting their sustainable fashion journey? I would say like we talked about, try to not judge yourself too harshly.

I think like when we talked about this with sewing too, the barrier to entry is often very high in our own heads. And if we can lower that, I think that's a great thing for everyone. So it's great to do something [00:28:00] sustainable and it's great to make progress, but don't feel like you have to be perfect because that often can limit people from starting.

And the fear of judgment for not being perfect is another thing that I try to change the culture around that. I would say my number one tip is. Use what already exists. I think creativity can really flourish sometimes with boundaries, as contradictory as it seems, but using materials that already exist and textiles that already exist.

Not only are you saving water, you're saving carbon. Think about the hours of labor, questionably, ethically, some that are put into making a garment. And then to wear it once and throw it away. If you can give that a new life, that's a great place to start. And that can look like an upcycle bar that can look like upcycles you can do at home.

That can look like swapping with friends. That could look like wearing a skirt as a dress. So many different ways to be creative. I [00:29:00] think it's parameters encourage that and that's cool. Another way I would say is community's really cool. I think having friends whose pieces you can borrow and not like.

Wait, lemme start over. Having community I think is another way that is great because not only are you holding each other accountable, but you almost have a collective closet then. And for different occasions, you're not gonna need a cocktail dress every day and you're not gonna need this for every day.

But when you have that in your social circle and you can pull from it and borrow it, I think that's really powerful And it's fun I think to wear something and someone compliments you and it's oh yeah, like this is my friend, she got it. This place, it brings like a story and humanizes the garment in another way as well.

And then, I'm trying to think of one last tip.

Oh, this one's simple. Thrifting I think thrifting is super fun. I think of it as a treasure hunt. We are really putting to use our hunter gatherer skills in the thrift store and I think it's just a lot of fun and it's a fun activity. And again, think about how much you're saving and the story that you now have to tell about the piece is pretty cool.

Yeah, exactly. If you know me, I love a thrift [00:30:00] store. I think those are great tips and thank you so much for coming on and chatting with me. Where can people find you on social media or anywhere else? Yeah. So on social media, it is rehumanize the World on Instagram and TikTok, and then our website is rehumanize the world.com.

We are really looking to go to more states, more events, more places this year, and host upcycle bars. It would be a dream to partner with brands and use the upcycle bar and bringing it would be a dream to wait on. Sorry.

Okay. I'm just gonna start over that question. You can with the social media set, we can keep that. I'm really focused on scaling the upcycle bar concept, bringing it to cities, events, brand partnerships. I think festivals would be super cool. Universities would be great. And really just making an upcycling accessible and fun for everyone is where I'm currently at. As well as, I think it would be really cool for artists to branch into sustainable merch and upcycle bar, like interactive experience or I think Billie Eilish did an upcycling event once and it was a huge success. But imagine if your favorite artist, instead of buying a whole new sweatshirt, had a little applique.

And then you can get it sewn on. That [00:31:00] saves so much and it makes it, again, like an immersive experience and a better memory. And off of that, I think collaborating with artists on signing appliques and using their styles, I think would be, again, a great way I. I really value collaboration because again, I think at the heart of this brand is connection and,

okay, lemme start that again. At the heart of this brand is connection and collaboration and community is really the only way we're going to address this ginormous thing. Yeah, no, completely. I love that. I think I hope to see an upcycle bar in LA soon. Oh yes. For, I'll be there for, I don't know when this is airing, but it's after climate week, but nevermind.

Feel free to say it if you wanna tell me, I know you're here for Climate Week, but I'm here for LA Climate Week. I'm here, I'm going to San Francisco Climate Week. Oh, love. I started working with Singer a little bit and they're sending me a song machine Oh. To go to San Francisco with, so I'm really excited about that and hopefully looking to build that partnership.

Yeah. And again, for like brands who may not feel like they have a role to play in circular fashion or sustainable fashion, I [00:32:00] think it's often the unlikely collaborators that really can be super impactful. So I'm really curious to see how people can step up to the plate. Yeah, no, I think that is so cool.

That's just something I've been seeing so much in, because on top of sustainable fashion, I work in marketing and like it's the most like random partnerships that. Sometimes like really do the best. I think local to la There's like salt and straw, the ice cream shop, and they partnered with Taco Bell and it was just in my mind I was like, how did that come to be?

But then they made like a taco ice cream thing. And I was like, that actually makes so much freaking sense. Or everyone, this is very timely to now, and by the time this podcast comes out, it's gonna be late. But all of the brands that did like prank products for April Fools and then everyone was like, wait, that's actually like a really good product.

I know you guys were joking, but I kinda want that. And I was like, it's sometimes those things that I'm just like, they're random, but. They're still aligned. And so I think that with that, there are so many things that like people could do in terms of sustainable fashion. And then also just in general aligned partnerships obviously.

But hopefully my, our ideal world of all sustainability everywhere will be a reality and it's people like you and everything that you're doing that inspires me to keep going and inspires the rest of us and is very encouraging and amazing. So thank you for that. Thank you so much for having me.

That's it for this week's episode of the Lexi Show Fashion. That gives a damn big thanks to Jessica for showing us how sustainability can be intuitive, creative, and deeply personal. Not just a checklist, but a way of reconnecting with what we wear and why it matters, whether it's fashion or everyday products.

This is how sustainability should work. If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share this with someone who needs to hear it. Head to Lexi silverstein.com for more content on sustainable style and conscious consumption. And follow me on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube at Lexi Silverstein.

That's LEXY, silver like the color, S-T-E-I-N. Remember to live a good life and look fucking good doing it and demand better from brands in your closet and everywhere else. See you next week.