RECLAIMthreads is the love-child of Marissa Baker & Emma Charles - delivering one-of-a-kind vintage pieces with unique styling to curate a wardrobe as expressive as you want to be! Together they have 20+ years of styling & 15 years of resell experience.

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The brand is rooted in their love for fashion, but fueled by the necessity to reduce waste through reusing/recycling/refurbishing quality clothing. Many of the pieces found at reclaimthreads.com have been featured in fashion shows, editorials &/or advertisements. See their styling featured on the cover of Prolific Quarterly Magazine:

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- "Luminescence" feat. on the cover of Prolific Quarterly - july 2018

- "Domesticated" feat. editorial in Prolific Quarterly - july 2018

- "Endangered Species" feat. editorial in Period Mag - june 2018

- "Awakening" feat. on the cover of Prolific Quarterly - jan 2018 - Belle Arti

- "The Silk Road" feat. editorial in Prolific Quarterly - jan 2018 - Belle Arti

- ​"Lady in luxe" feat. on the cover of Prolific Quarterly - nov 2017

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our mission

Our mission is simple  *publicize the negative impact of the fast fashion industry

and cultivate sustainability by appreciating garments that already exist.*

The fast fashion industry is a major violator of both environmental and human rights globally.

Garment manufacturing is the number one global polluter for many reasons:

   1. OVER-PRODUCTION & WASTE: Hundreds of billions of new garments are produced every year. Supply supersedes demand and the tons of unsold clothing goes straight into landfill. The clothing produced is often poorly manufactured with low-quality materials and many construction imperfections; therefore, these garments generally only survive a few wears and washes. Consumers then discard these damaged pieces, inevitably sending them off to landfill.

   2. COTTON: Contrary to popular belief, cotton is not a more conscious alternative to synthetic fabrics. Cotton is an extremely water-intensive crop. Furthermore, dangerous pesticides and insecticides are typically used in its production. When used, these chemicals spread throughout waste water and affect nearby communities.

   3. PLASTICS: Synthetic fabrics are produced using non-renewable resources including plastics and petroleum. When synthetic fabrics are discarded to landfill, they breakdown and release micro-plastic into the environment and oceans.

   4. CARBON FOOTPRINT: Most garments produced in the fast fashion industry are manufactured in separate steps, at separate locations. This leads to carbon-intensive shipping processes, both during manufacturing and during distribution to retailers.

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The garment industry has also been associated with HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS throughout history, which are even more horrifying than the industry’s environmental effects. The vast majority of clothing brands produce their merchandise overseas, where workers do not share the rights that we know as employees. Garment factory workers are subject to intensely long hours, unethically low wages, and are primarily women & *children* - there are no labor unions as we know them. There have been numerous reports of human trafficking, sexual crimes, and violence within these factories.

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Brands that oppose this type of clothing manufacturing have been unified under the umbrella term “SLOW FASHION.” Conscious, ethical, and sustainable - these adjectives are used for branches of slow fashion, and while there are some slight differences in focus between individual brands, the message is clear: the modern-consumer-model for the fashion market is focused on inexpensive clothing with a quick turn-over, and the conscious consumer cares that this model is not sustainable. 

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5 years ago, Marissa and Emma vowed to not buy anything NEW in life and in business, to reduce their environmental footprint, and to exclude their dollar from the revenue stream of the fast fashion industry. Everything (with very few exceptions) used at RECLAIMthreads is secondhand - booth decor, racks, hangers, storage bins, fabrics, thread, packaging, etc. In places where sourcing secondhand isn't possible, recycled, recyclable, and compostable materials are used.

OUR STORY

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Later in the night, I saw she was dancing with her hula hoop, so

I grabbed my baton and joined her. As I walked up, she stopped

dancing and we fell into deep conversation about vintage

clothing, festivals, our personalities, and our relationships. 

Best-friends-at-first-sight type of thing... But even more "coincidental," is that we spoke of being business partners in that conversation... The next day I told all my friends that I met this amazing girl and we're going into business! The next month we started styling photoshoots together - it was yin & yang. We never looked back.

Fast forward 4 months:

Our partnership was born November 17, 2017.

I quit my miserable corporate office job the week before Christmas.

Coined RECLAIMthreads December, 2017.

Website Live March, 2017.

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Marissa and I met at a party. She was hanging out with a friend of mine - she was so excited for new people to arrive and mix things up - so she introduced herself immediately. She was definitely the life of the party. 

as told by Emma