How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport? My boy-girl twins, AKA “The G-Team” are 3 years old, and Marzipan, my adopted mutt and first child, is 6. We moved here from NYC 6 years ago, which is hard to believe! I still feel like a newbie.
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job, or whatever passion project it is you might be doing? Before I founded Shop Tomorrows, the parent-to-parent marketplace for getting top-notch preloved kids stuff, I was a full time costume designer and stylist. My career began at The Metropolitan Opera and working in Broadway. I went on to collaborate on incredible projects, from Madonna’s concerts to shoots for Conde Nast, over 100 shows for NY Fashion Week, and I lead the costume teams for several dozen feature films and television commercials. But over time I became dismayed by the amount of clothing I was personally involved in wasting at the end of the shoot day. Annually, I was contributing to millions of dollars worth of clothing that had no life beyond their immediate use! It was terrible to witness.
So I went on to become very involved in fashion sustainability, and starting in 2014 I began to teach the subject in universities – long before “sustainability” was a buzz word (and I’m so glad it is!).
Soon after, in 2017, my twins were born and I saw the fashion waste problem right in my own home. I was surrounded by piles of pink-pony onesies and blue baby stuff that was barely touched but all outgrown, but I couldn’t bear the thought of it all going into the basement, wasting away in bins. At the same time, I needed so much more for my growing kids but didn’t want to continue the endless cycle of retail’s buy-wear-toss that is rampant in our fast-fashion culture. I wished the outgrown clothes could magically turn into clothes that fit!
I made that “wish” come true by founding our startup, www.ShopTomorrows.com, that turns yesterday’s outgrown items into currency for tomorrow’s purchases. It’s a digital marketplace for parents to give and get great stuff through networks, neighborhoods and beyond without ever exchanging cash, and it’s now available nationwide as of August. Think of us like your ultimate digital hand-me-down network x 1000!
What is your favorite family activity to do in Westport or the surrounding towns? We love to take advantage of any opportunity to be in nature. We are lucky to be surrounded by incredible hiking trails like Trout Brook, and we spend a ton of time hanging with farm animals wherever we can find them! Wells Hill Farm has our favorite goat-pals, and Ambler Farm is our favorite public spot – we love to pack a picnic, run through the flowers and fields, and hang with the bunnies. We recently discovered the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, and the Bartlett Arboretum is a new gem.
What’s your favorite app right now- for you- and for your kids? ShopTomorrows.com – duh!
What’s your can’t live without beauty product? Whether it’s a work meeting in person or in the Zoom room, I don’t feel like myself without Marc Jacobs’ bright red lipstick. I love the ritual of putting it on to kick off the work day, and taking it off the minute I transition to being with my kids. And I love using Lucas’ Papaw lip ointment. I discovered this cheap treasure backstage at the fashion shows in NYC when I used to be a stylist. It’s what all the models were using, so I knew it had to be good!
If you could pick one restaurant or store to come to Westport that isn’t here now, what would it be, and why? We need a killer vintage shop. Amiright?
What are you most excited about in life right now? It’s energizing to see that we are raising our children in a world that will be better for them than the one we inherited. The next generation of kids are so bright, so committed to justice, and so aware of the inequalities in our country and are actively participating in movements that will bring about change on a range of issues, from racial justice to climate change. They are living their values – whether it’s in the form of major moves, like the young congressmen and women on the ballot this year; or the huge thrifting movement going on with GenZ for the sake of climate change. It’s all so good!
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? 100% of my wardrobe is either secondhand (from thrift stores and local and online consignment sites) or by a certified B-Corp company and super-sustainably made.
If you weren’t doing what you are today, what do you think your career path might have been? Oh gosh! All I can think of is the next recommerce-tech company I have been fantasizing about, and how I would be very, very happy to retire at the end of the day on our own farm with my husband and twins and mutt and a panoply of alpacas and horses and other baby farm animals. So to answer your question, maybe in my next life I’d be a farmer?
If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted – what would you do? Sleep and eat – alone – in my childhood apartment in NYC. That’s the dream these days! Hah! #sorrynotsorry #donttellmyfamily
What is your proudest mommy moment? My twins love each other so openly. When I find them hugging each other when no one is watching, that’s a proud moment.