Life and Work with Birdie Sutton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Birdie Sutton.

Birdie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Fashion has definitely always been a part of me. As a little girl, I remember putting on my “clippy clop” plastic princess heels and instantly feeling a sense of happiness. I liked to be bold and I learned to not be afraid of wearing something just because it’s different. This was not well received among my peers and I was often teased in school. It wasn’t until college that I really started to feel comfortable in my own skin, and I began to receive praise for my unique look. Around that time, I began to get more involved in the fashion industry. As a freshman, I signed with a modeling agency and was sent to Los Angeles and Istanbul fashion week. Shortly after, I began an internship at a vintage clothing store, where my love for vintage really took off. I was amazed by the clothing that came through the shop. I loved learning everything about its origin and how to date a piece of clothing just by looking at it. It wasn’t long after my internship that I began collecting and selling online part-time. By 2018, I quit my day job and began running my Etsy site full-time, I couldn’t be happier looking for vintage clothing every day of the week.

Has it been a smooth road?
I think my biggest struggle so far has been trying to get out of my own head. It’s really easy to fall down the rabbit hole of “am I doing this right?” “Could I be doing more? “am I really going to succeed at this?”. Plus, I had the added anxiety of not being taken seriously in the real world. At first, my idea sounded really unobtainable to many, which, in turn, made me feel more pressure that they may be right. Once I was able to start seeing growth in the store, I got the confidence I needed to keep pushing.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Birdie’s Vintage Closet – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I own an online store called Birdie’s Vintage closet which features clothing from the 1940s-1990s. I take great pride in hand-picking each piece myself and my customers know me for my high-quality items. I am very proud of the fact that I am involved in every aspect of my business. Each piece of clothing is laundered, mended, photographed, modeled, measured, and shipped by me.

What separates Birdie’s Vintage Closet from other stores is that I am really focused on finding wearable vintage clothing. I want my store to appeal to the everyday shopper and stock pieces that follow modern trends while still celebrating the authentic looks of decades past.

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Finding mentors and friends in the industry has been very helpful for me. Building my business from the ground up has meant a lot of ‘firsts’. Having someone working through similar issues or just to bounce ideas off of makes all the difference. Most of the people I’ve made connections with were strangers I approached in a store or at an Estate Sale. My best advice would be: don’t be afraid to reach out to someone in the same field or someone you just admire. It never hurts to ask and the worst that could happen is they say no.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/birdiesvintagecloset
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/becomingbirdie/

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