Houston entrepreneur launches new online fashion marketplace

Le wanted to find a more environmentally conscious and sustainable way to fulfill the need for unique and fashionable clothing. This idea would eventually be developed into RE.SHKARIM, an online marketplace for refurbished fashion, or new clothes created from existing or used materials.

The market held its soft launch on Thursday, featuring a collection of items from more than 20 designers. Styles for sale include shirts, jackets, pants, dresses, skirts, shorts, bags and accessories. Items are made from household items such as tapestries, tablecloths, blankets, towels, cotton fabrics, leather and other fabrics and fine patterns found in thrift stores.

“People have been doing this for thousands of years, but there’s never been a term for it,” Le, 24, told the Chronicle.

Le watched her mother, Thuvan (Van) Luu, an immigrant from Vietnam in Houston, work at two or three alteration shops at once before starting her own shop, Stylebook Alterations.

Luu made more than 1,000 face masks at the start of the pandemic from excess fabric she had saved over the years, then donated the masks to hospitals and nursing homes in Houston. Le said her mother is her role model and the inspiration behind her entrepreneurial spirit.

“Nothing is ever wasted, and that’s the mentality I grew up with,” Le said. “From there I was like who else is doing this and what else can be done with these materials.”

She remembers sewing and playing with needles at the age of four, making clothes for her Teletubby dolls. Although sewing and fashion have always been a part of her life, she chose a career in marketing and product management over design. She landed what she thought was her dream job at a social impact startup helping students assess their community’s needs and take action to solve them, but left in August to pursue her passion its real: recycling.

A great incentive

Le got a big boost for RE. STATEMENT from the City of Houston in November after taking home $10,000 in seed funding from the 10th annual Liftoff Houston Startup Business Plan Competition.

The event is sponsored by Capital One Bank and administered by the Houston Public Library and Office of Business Opportunity. To advance to the competition, participants attend a series of required business education workshops, as well as financial and business mentoring sessions, according to the City of Houston. They also submit business plans that are reviewed and judged by representatives from Capital One Bank and SCORE Houston.

Le was one of three entrepreneurs to secure $10,000 in funding after winning the product category award over two other finalists, Suzanne Knobel of Bernie’s Old-Fashioned Ketchup and Stefanie Jones of Yvonne Beauty LLC.

“At Pitch Day, Ms. Le shared her vision to make Houston the capital of new fashion and a leader in social impact,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said through a spokesperson. “With RE-WORKING, old clothes can be made into new creations instead of landfills. Artists and designers will also have a platform to sell their creations, which promotes the growth of small businesses in our city. In addition to presenting a viable business plan, Ms. Le impressed the judges with an engaging presentation that demonstrated her commitment to making a difference to others and the world around us.”

After recycling for private clients and friends for nearly 20 years, Third Ward artist and designer Claudia Cortello said she is excited about the opportunity RE.STATEMENT will offer to make recycling her “mainstream bread and butter.”

“It would eliminate the need for one-on-one referrals,” said the owner of Designed by Cortello. While she likes to have a client now and then, she loves to create things and is excited to spend more time “bringing things to life.”

Cortello met Le through a mutual friend, who suggested RE. STATEMENTS as a way to make a profit. After selling items on other fashion sites like Etsy and Depop, but with little return, Cortello thought, “this can’t be real.”

“There are a lot of people who are creating things, but a lot of times you can get lost in the shuffle,” Cortello said of the stiff competition on Etsy. “There are a lot of content creators, but it doesn’t necessarily empower other creators to monetize their art. It’s a dream come true to have this kind of platform made in Houston, and it just came from a casual conversation at the Doshi House . . .”

Cortello reproduces jackets, shirts, skirts and pants with custom patches. She describes her designs as a “touch of glam and streetwear”. A custom Kurt Cobain leather jacket she purchased retailed for $566.

How does the recycling site work?

Fees are collected in advance from designers, Le said, to avoid discounts from their final sale. “Whatever number they put down, that’s the number they’re leaving with,” she said. “So if it’s a $100 shirt, they’re going to get that $100.”

So far, Cortello said she’s been happy with the experience. She describes the platform as easy to navigate and had no problem uploading clothes for sale.

“They get back to you quickly and the updates you get are extremely timely. That’s the biggest difference between trying to sell your new clothes on a site like Depop,” Cortello said. “It’s the difference between having an account at a bank or a credit union. You get this hometown contact and people are talking to you in real time.”

RE.STATEMENT is also collaborating with other local designers, including Anna Shelton of Anna Elyse Denim and Ginger Martinez of Gin Martini Designs, and plans to include more designers in the near future.