Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Morrissey.
Hi Michele, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
BKLYN AFFAIR has been a dream of mine for a long time. Having worked in many different fields of the fashion industry over the past two decades, I always wanted to branch out on my own someday. When I started my career in fashion, I was working at Tommy Hilfiger as a design assistant and then went to managing small women-owned businesses in the LES and heart of Brooklyn. Consignment Brooklyn (formerly known as Butter Consignment) was really where I started to get the styling bug. A lot of my clients were returning weekly just to hang out and play dress-up. Styling then became my main focus. What can I pair with this Vintage Dior dress to make it current and modern-day? Who can rock this R13 jacket? It trickled from there and I started styling exclusively while doing closet cleanouts on the side. Then boom, a major coast swap, and I landed on the west side of LA. It seemed right, it felt like home but with palm trees surrounding me. I brought my NY hustle mentality to the west side and started styling for personal clients, contemporary brands, web series, tv shows, and celebrities. I did this all while working at Guild, the store that became my home away from home in Venice. Between Consignment Brooklyn and Guild, that’s really where I found myself gaining more and more confidence. From photography to marketing, to buying, to styling, to designing, to creating genuine connections with clients, things really started to click. Fast forward to 2020, the middle of the pandemic, I couldn’t sit still, I was out of work and decided the time is now, I’m ready to actually start my own thing. Let’s fuckin do this. And here I am now, nearly a year later setting up shop every weekend at different markets showcasing that east coast meets west coast swag with a booming online shop.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes, there have definitely been struggles, but if there weren’t how would we learn and grow? One main hurdle that comes to mind is the balance between prioritizing my time between my business and my family. Being a one-woman show and a mom to a budding little human is insanely hard. But honestly, that’s the best part. She gets to see firsthand the amount of hard work and determination it takes to persevere and overcome these obstacles and to follow your dreams.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
BKLYN AFFAIR is a shop that is solely pre-owned garments and accessories. I focus mainly on buying high-end and contemporary designers + vintage pieces. I travel pretty much all over sourcing the best of the best and working with different vendors from NY to CA to find unique styles that will showcase what BKLYN Affair is all about. When buying, my go-to questions are, Would I wear this?, How can I style this? and Who would wear this? If I can figure out all 3 in under a minute, I’m buying it and will figure out the rest later. Then begins the work – laundering each piece, securing the model, doing the photoshoot and the photo editing, and researching each individual garment. Then it’s time to take measurements on each piece and upload all the new products to the website. Honestly, that’s just the start. Then it’s time to prep for the weekend’s pop-up. I love to see the reactions of people from all over. Who will choose which piece? How will they give it a new life? How will they style it?
Yea, there is tons of busywork to be done on the daily, but honestly I’m not here to “sell” clothing., I actually despise when people say… “Oh, you sell clothes right?”. To me, it’s so much more than selling, It’s about creating an experience for someone, obtaining that genuine human connection and people coming together to breathe new life into these garments. I’m always honest, sometimes a little too honest. I will never let you leave with something that you aren’t 100% in love with. It just means it is meant for someone else out there. Sure, I still have a passion for styling, seeing which silhouette works best on your body type, how the fabric should lay, and where to alter things. All the things in how to make it work. But what matters most to me is how YOU feel in the piece, Does it fit within your style and what you feel most comfortable in. Is this piece telling the story that you want to tell? If not, let’s move on and find what’s right for you.
Here is a quote that I love that really exemplifies my feelings about styling and fashion, “Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” – Gore Vidal
What does success mean to you?
Success is happiness in what you do.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.bklynaffair.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bklyn.affair/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bklyn-affair-104388737991270
