Summer Cohort Wrap-Up
Natalie Lambrelli
As summer wraps up and the weather (finally!) cools, we say a bittersweet goodbye to our latest cohort of interns. From Operations to Photography, Marketing, Graphic Design, Upcycling and Research, our 15 member team cultivated transferable skills and helped Shop Repurpose to thrive! We are so proud of everything they accomplished this summer, and are already looking forward to welcoming our next cohort in the Fall.
Until then, let’s recap summer 2023!
Field trips!
Our team visited Materials for the Arts (MFTA) in Long Island City twice this summer. As New York City’s largest creative reuse center, MFTA provides schools, city organizations, and arts nonprofits in need with free materials and clothing. Each visit began with some volunteering, helping MFTA to organize their large warehouse of donated goods. Then, we were granted time to peruse and shop to our heart’s content: benefitting MFTA and scoring pre-loved apparel and store decorations. We are so proud to continually support such an amazing organization!
Hi Barbie!
In what many are calling The Year of The Barbie Movie, we were proud to display our very own Barbie window. Our Upcycling team showcased Shop Repurpose’s most feminine apparel, and filled our storefront with varying shades of pink, in addition to ruffles, bows, sequins, and a hand-painted Barbie decal. It was a hit among our customers, who frequently stopped to snap a picture of our storefront. Our Marketing team leaned into all the Barbie trends on social media, even borrowing volunteer Barbara Nevis’ collection of Barbies for their content creation. On a more serious note: we took a moment as a community to look past Barbie’s glitz and glamour. We reflected upon themes highlighted by the movie: autonomy, ambition, individuality, representation, community, and femininity. As a female-founded organization which aims to support women both financially via charitable donations and within our workforce development program, this moment was a highlight of the summer. To read more about this reflection within our community, check out our earlier blog post, Barbie and the Shop Repurpose Mission.
Photoshoots!
Thanks in large part to our Photography and Film interns, Celia Gossow, Mari Lopez, and Juwhana Livingston, we had two very successful photoshoots in SoHo and Central Park!Members of our Marketing and Photography team helped with styling, showcasing curated outfits of Shop Repurpose clothing. Our SoHo shoot was inspired by a neutral color palette and dynamic silhouettes, while our Central Park shoot featured more vibrant colors and floral patterns. While Celia, Mari, and Juwhana got to work, our Marketing interns, Evgenia, Ashley, and Naia took behind the scenes content to be posted on our social media.
Mentor Sessions!
This summer, several Shop Repurpose community members hosted mentor sessions to educate our Marketing, Upcycling, Photography, and Operations interns. This included Sommer Howard, Nick Sizemore, Juana Soto, Ashley Arcement, and our founder, Jessie Freschl! Their expertise encompasses market research, visual merchandising, content creation, Search Engine Optimization, and personal styling. Together, they provided our team with invaluable networking and hands-on learning opportunities.
We are so grateful to everyone on our team for a great summer.
Up Next: an End of Summer Party/Sale, and a Barbara Walters Shopping Event!