Nine months ago, Gabi Brazee turns passion into profit. But it all starts with a love for the ’80s. In 2017 she begins her obsession with the pop culture of the ’80s and it makes her think about what gnarly clothes they wear. Brazee figures if she wants to dress similarly to the icons of the ’80s, she has to dress vintage. 

She thrifts hoping to find shirts and sweaters older than she. Because styles change, she loves thrifting.

“I simply love the adrenaline rush from finding a good piece.”

She explains that she already loves some retail therapy, but thrifting doubles the effect for her.  

Brazee is a strong advocate for buying second-hand products, and she appreciates that thrifting helps reduce textile waste. The effects of fast fashion and the overconsumption of goods are something she wants to combat. That’s why she creates a Depop page. 

Depop is an app for people to sell their clothes they aren’t wearing anymore. It’s comparable to apps such as Mercari or eBay except it’s more catered to vintage thrifted clothing. Brazee starts up her page nine months ago and it’s been successful. Her page, @thriftedg00dz, racks up over 300 followers with over 80 sales. In the past 6 months alone, she’s makes over $1,500. 

With plans to carry on with her business, Brazee has bigger plans. She’s hoping to get a booth at an event such as the Fox Valley Vintage Fest, which brings people from all over the state together with a love of vintage clothing. With big aspirations for the future, there’s no doubt that she will thrift until she can’t flip another hanger across the rack.