Graphic by Faith Terrill
It’s always a great time to support small businesses, now more than ever! Despite the circumstances of 2020, these five Gen Z-owned small businesses have poured their hearts and souls into their products, launching successful brands in under a year. Make sure to add these five businesses to your wish list!
Refried Jeans Co.
Refried Jeans Co. sells customizable, hand-painted denim pieces, including jackets, pants, masks and more using sustainably sourced materials. Shopping at Refried Jeans Co. is an environmentally conscious way to purchase new pieces you cannot find anywhere else and the name “Refried” represents exactly what they do: taking something old and making it new again.
College junior and artist Georgia VanDerwater is the visionary behind Refried Jeans Co. She is currently a junior in college who has been creating art since a young age. After being sent home from study abroad due to the pandemic, Georgia was prompted to find a way to give her day-to-day routine a new purpose, and thus, Refried Jeans Co. was born. Evidently, Georgia is super excited to have a reason to dedicate more time to creativity, especially in a way that has allowed her to explore a more diverse array of art!
Refriend Jeans Co. is available to customize nearly anything. You can send her a denim piece that you already own to be redesigned or choose from her curated second-hand items. So much energy and care goes into each handmade piece — it takes Georgia between four and 10 hours per custom jacket! Prices for these one-of-a-kind pieces depend on your order, but you can always purchase her hand-painted masks and denim patches for just $15 each.
Georgia is delighted when she gets to create something special for someone to enjoy and love. You can find Refried Jeans Co. on Instagram (@georgiavanderwaterart) and on TikTok (@refriedjeansco). Stay tuned for a website coming soon!
Selene’s Serenity
Selene’s Serenity is an online shop based in Greenville, NC that is all about helping you add self-love and self-care into your daily life with their luxurious candles, soaps, body scrubs and more!
Selene’s Serenity is owned by Victoria Norris, a recent college graduate, Zumba instructor and incredible business owner! After discovering that she had a talent for making candles, Victoria was inspired to launch her business back in June 2020 in hopes of spreading peace and happiness into people’s lives, because there’s nothing we need more than a reminder that we deserve to treat ourselves to some relaxation and moments of peace.
All Selene’s Serenity candles are eco-friendly, natural and hand-made with love from soy wax, which is vegan, nontoxic, cleaner and burns longer. The soaps are made with honey oats and vanilla, which is nourishing for your skin, and the body scrubs include vitamin E and coconut oil, which will leave your skin feeling nice and soft. Selene’s Serenity also offers a silk sleeping mask and headband set, and fuzzy house slippers for an extra treat. Victoria strives to help customers find what matches their own interests, and because all her products are handmade, she takes candle scent requests which she will personally mix just for you!
While things are largely online for now, Victoria has already run a successful pop-up shop in North Carolina and she hopes to be able to sell in person more in the future. For now, feel free to browse her exquisite products on her website, including a new Valentine’s Day Collection, all for under $20.
To begin your self-care journey with Selene’s Serenity, head to selenesserenity.com, or watch out for future pop-ups around Greenville, North Carolina. You can follow for more on Instagram (@selenesserenityllc), Facebook (Selene’s Serenity Candles) or reach Victoria by email (selenesserenity@gmail.com
Ornate Vintage Co.
Ornate Vintage Co. is a queer-owned, size-inclusive, sustainable vintage clothing store based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania! The owner of Ornate Vintage Co., Rachel Stillman, is a third-generation student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, so she has grown up in an environment where being into fashion is the norm. The Ornate Vintage Co. aesthetic can be described as the androgyny of the ’70s meets ’90s punk: think Bowie or McJagger. You will find a lot of late ’60s and early ’70s fashion, as Rachel has always been fascinated by its origins in political and cultural movements, and there are pieces in Ornate’s collection representing fashion from as early as the 1920s and as late as the 2000s as well.
Ornate Vintage Co. will have something for anyone, with pieces catering to so many diverse fashion interests. Fascinated by traditionally male fashions taking on a more feminine energy, Ornate Vintage tackles the dichotomy of dressing both grunge-punk or girly and feminine, resulting in one funky brand reminding you that style doesn’t have to fit just one box. It is OK to dress in whatever way makes you feel confident and comfortable!
This mantra is driven by Rachel’s own experience growing up as a closeted queer individual. She has always felt that clothes allowed her to express herself from an early age without even fully knowing who she was yet, despite societal pressures in high school to present much more feminine. Rachel is passionate about creating a safe space for her customers by removing gendered labeling from clothing and encouraging freedom of expression and identity. There is no gender at Ornate: Be inspired to wear whatever speaks to you and style it however the hell you want. Ornate Vintage Co.’s reasonable prices, size inclusivity, sustainable packaging and production, and message of lifting LGBTQ+ voices in fashion make it a brand to keep your eye on!
To shop Ornate Vintage online head to ornatevintage.com or their Depop (@ornatevintageco). Follow their Instagram (@ornatevintageco) and TikTok (@ornatevintageco) for updates on bi-weekly clothing drops, and stay tuned for in-person shopping opportunities to come. Also, head to Pinterest to see their aesthetic inspo (@rrachelclaire). Additionally, if you live around the Bucks County area and would be interested in modeling for the site and socials, contact Rachel at any of these social media handles or her personal Instagram (@rachel.stillman), they’re looking for anyone and everyone!
Mendou Jewelry
Mendou Jewelry is literally what we’ve all been waiting for. We all know how it feels to see the perfect accessory from a boutique advertised to us on Instagram — only to find out it’s way too expensive. Luckily, Mendou is an online jewelry shop that has set out to make cute jewelry affordable and accessible, with every piece under $20! With Mendou, everyone can try out new styles and designs without breaking the bank.
Mendou Jewelry was created by Erika O’Brien, who started the brand back in March 2020 after having recently graduated from college. She was inspired by her own experience as a jewelry customer, discouraged by the price tag on expensive pieces and dismayed at cheap materials that quickly turned green. That’s why with Mendou, Erika has combined fresh designs, durable materials and affordable prices — really, what more could we ask for?
Mendou is a Japanese word describing laziness, so the idea behind Mendou Jewelry is to create products which instantly enhance your look without any hard work on your end. Mendou has an awesome selection of earrings, including their special huggies, charms, necklaces and rings! Every product is tarnish resistant and all materials are listed on each product’s page to make sure customers are left with no questions. Right now Erika’s personal favorite pieces include all things gold to elevate any look and she recommends these incredibly cute teddy bear earrings.
Mendou has something for everyone: an awesome selection of jewelry for everyday looks or special occasions — including Valentine’s Day, with a special collection out now. You can shop Mendou Jewelry at mendoujewelry.com and follow them for more on Instagram (@mendoujewelry) and TikTok (@mendoujewelry).
Ethica
Ethica is an environmental justice and climate action driven online thrift store selling “preloved” pieces and actively raising public awareness about environmental issues. Ethica weaves sustainability into every facet of what they do and aims for people to express themselves with clothing they love, without participating in fast fashion.
Estella Struck channeled all her energy into founding Ethica, understanding society’s pressure to fit in, but seeing through the culture of everyone trying to be carbon copies of each other. Instead, interested in sustainability and finding individuality, Estella got into thrifting at an early age and has been shopping second-hand ever since, as it is a way to express your own individuality with unique pieces and it is the most sustainable way to shop. Excited to share her passion with the world, she finally created Ethica in May 2020.
Pieces from Ethica are all preloved, high-quality items donated by the Ethica community, sold at affordable prices. Ethica even creates “rag bags” using items not listed on the site or cool fabrics people donate, so that no material goes to waste. They are perfect for anyone who is into upcycling; if you see something preloved that has potential to be new again in your eyes, you can make that happen.
Inspired by a quote from Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world,” Estella has set out to make Ethica a one-stop-shop for fashion and education so that you can understand the environmental impact of your daily choices. Estella hopes not only that Ethica customers will feel empowered by their own style, but that people will be able to say, “I learned from Ethica.”
You can shop Ethica when they have an item drop on their website ethicanyc.com — but be warned, items go fast! Ethica has lots of big plans for the future so stay tuned for more on Instagram (@ethicanyc) and TikTok (@ethicanyc). And don’t forget, Ethica could always use your support through donations — more info on their Instagram!