Kristen has always had a passion for creating art and all things sparkle. All it takes is a quick glance into her closet to see for yourself: every color of the rainbow stacked and stored carefully on her shelves and in her drawers. Kristen Yezzi’s closet is home to a collection of clothes alive with color and patterns, adorned with sparkling sequins and patches of polka dots. But next to her closet, is her studio… the place where the magic happens. A corner of clothing, cluttered with thrifted tank tops sitting patiently with untapped potential. Accompanied by a small table littered with fabric paints and bleach dye waiting for her to use. Kristen has always been excited about art and expressing herself with her clothes and accessories. Recently, she has decided to pursue her passion to open up her closet, and art skills, to anyone who is dying to bring their pinterest boards to life.
Kristen Yezzi, a third year Communication Strategy and Design major at Ithaca College, launched her own business, Kurated by Kristen, last Spring. Since it’s been up and running, she has gained over 300 followers and quickly sells out of the clothing she posts, while also receiving multiple commissions for custom pieces. Whatever it is she curates, her followers are loving how her personality and love for art is sewn into each stitch.
Kristen’s clothing business focuses on upcycling fashion and wearable art. She thrifts simple clothing like tanks and crewnecks, adds her own hand made designs, then sells them online! To ensure her clothing will last, she uses a double enforced iron on fusible webbing, combined with her own stitching.
Jessica Goode, a fourth year at Ithaca College recently purchased her own customized shirt from Kristen, a unique piece with two swans and small floral designs on the top. The process itself was almost a conversation between both Jess and Kristen. Jess reached out and told Kristen what she wanted, and Kristen whipped it up.
“I am in love with her vision. I gave her three photos to describe the design I would like. She executed it really well. She enhanced the look for me… I’m so pleased with it and I’m so happy,” Jess said.
Her customers have a clear say and decision in what they’re wearing, and in a way they are literally helping Kristen design and customize their piece. No two pieces are ever the same. Having that power and control over their outfit choice and overall look is something really sentimental, and also sexy. It also helps that Kristen is insanely talented when it comes to art, so she is often able to enhance her customer’s vision. She has quite literally been doing art since she could breathe. Whether she was putting together her cotton candy Halloween costume at age 12, complete with a cotton headpiece, and perfectly pink tutu, making duct tape wallets in middle school, or painting portraits in art class. She’s always been handy with a hot glue gun, and her mom even says Kristen could look at a bookshelf and turn it into a dollhouse. Kristen’s artistic eye, crafty vision, and passion is undeniable, and pairs perfectly with her green thumb and love of thrifting.
Thrifting is Kristen’s idea of a perfect day. With an iced latte in hand, earbuds in, music playing, scanning and searching through racks and rows of clothing is when Kristen is the most at peace. Thrifting is like a fun challenge, or as she describes it, it’s like “fishing.”
“People love fishing. You sit on a boat for hours upon hours and you might not catch anything but that one… that one fish you catch makes it worth it. I will search every single rack for hours and I find fun in that.” Kristen said. “You could be there for hours and find nothing, and that’s okay too, I love the process… But then there’s that one.”
Kristen isn’t alone in her love for thrifting. There seems to be a cultural thrift shift happening, where people are slowly, (hopefully) moving away from fast fashion and seeing the importance of shopping second hand. There’s something so unique and cool about customizing your closet and piecing together different clothes that somehow represent and highlight your personality or vibe.
Besides, fast fashion isn’t only becoming less cool, but it’s embarrassing. Especially when there are so many other small businesses and local artists out there who can carefully craft and curate something just like the micro trends we see today.
If someone is wearing something from SHEIN, it’s almost a whispered confession, or an embarrassing reply: “Don’t hate me… It’s from SHEIN.”
“What you wear is a window to your soul and your spirit in a way,” Kristen says. “It’s a way to express yourself. I wear things that reflect my soul, that reflect who I am, how I feel or how I want the world to be.” Kristen isn’t wrong. Our wardrobes are a way to express our thoughts and energy, and help us set the tone for the day. Especially as college students, the whole point of college, and life itself, is to experiment and figure out who we want, and don’t want to be.
In the process of building her brand, Kristen has recently advanced as a finalist to Ithaca College’s Demo Day event, hosted by REV, a business incubator and startup workspace in Ithaca. Kristen ended up winning $1,300 from this event, which she can put forward towards supplies to help her brand grow. Any amenities like a tent for pop-up shops, classes and workshops to learn new skills, print making, and a subscription to Shopify, can go towards helping her brand grow and pushing out more items and upcycled clothes to more and more people. She’s still constantly receiving commissions and requests for customized clothing.
Whether or not you buy from Kristen, we can all take inspiration from her mission that radiates through her brand. She’s paving a path for college students, specifically women, to take the first step and make their dreams reality, and get “kurative.”
Supporting local artists instead of fast fashion is a conscious, important and sentimental decision we should all consider the next time we consume something. “It’s not about making a buck. It’s about the people. It’s about art.” Kristen said.
Autumn Valdes is a junior Journalism and Religious Studies double major who believes in supporting local businesses, especially when you can get a cute outfit out of it. She can be reached at avaldes@ithaca.edu