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I was asked to write up my “story” for a social network called Mogul and thought I should share it here as well.
~ Jenn I. Owner of Valkyrie Apparel
The question isn’t “How did I end up in the fashion industry?” The question is “Why did it take so long?
If you were to tell 18 year old me that I’d be the owner of online clothing store I’d laugh in your face. I hate mainstream fashion, don’t care to wear things to fit in and I am unapologetically fat. Plus I’ve wanted Annie Lennox’s hair in the Sweet Dreams video since I first saw it and make-up is something I only use at Halloween.
And yet, I spent a good chunk of my middle school and high school years making my own clothing. Not by sewing, but by taking boring stuff and embellishing it. I painted T-shirts. When my father lost weight I took all of his old white button up shirts and painted those as well. My favorite was the one covered in Egyptian hieroglyphics.
And the cherry on the sundae is that my college essay was about the hardship of finding jeans that fit.
But NOPE, 18 year old me never once thought about going into the fashion industry. Neither did 21 year old me when she started making a profit selling T-shirt via the site Cafepress.
NOPE, not me. At 18 I would have told you I was going to stage manage on Broadway. By 21 I would have told you I was going to be a toy designer. At 31 I was getting closer to figuring it out. I was sure that my future was in Internet retail, web development or online marketing.
Forty two year old me can only laugh. Because nothing makes me happier than helping people like me find clothes that fit their bodies AND their personalities.