Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Hauge.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I remember being six years old and waking up to Martha Stewart cooking or decorating on my TV just about every morning- it wasn’t because I didn’t like cartoons, but I was fascinated by how this woman had built a brand out of her name. I knew I eventually wanted to do the same with mine; I’ve always been a multifaceted person- I can’t just pick one job, I have to do EVERYTHING that interests me whether it be interior design, styling, being a creative director, cooking, marketing, etc. I just want to be my own boss.
Growing up, I did not come from a wealthy family; we moved about once a year, sometimes twice, always under crazy circumstances that ultimately led to me being homeschooled. After everything my family had gone through, I had my sights set on providing stability because I didn’t want my future family to have to grow up the way I did.
Fast forward to today- I am a first-generation college student currently moving to San Francisco to pursue a business degree with an emphasis in marketing. With this degree, I plan on turning all of my passions into careers beginning with sustainable and recycled fashion. Eventually, I will also be pursuing interior design, hospitality services, real estate, as well as dining.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think my biggest struggle in pursuing what I want has been looking at the entire staircase in front of me, rather than just taking it one step at a time. I struggle with severe depression and anxiety which is in itself an ongoing war in my brain. My depression is unmotivating and often makes me feel unworthy of opportunities that may come my way, while my anxiety makes me feel overwhelmed and stressed about the fact that I’m even stressing in the first place.
As much as other people tell you how deserving you are of an opportunity, I think it’s important to love yourself enough to tell yourself that you’re enough. I always appreciate people telling me how “great” I am, but I need to feel it for myself because only I will push myself enough to do the things that I want to do in life.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Gitchy Vintage story. Tell us more about it.
I love anything vintage; I have always enjoyed going thrifting and turning someone else’s worn out items into something beautiful. While I am not creative enough to design my own clothes or furniture, I can fix things up and bring them back to life.
I started Gitchy Vintage back in February just to get myself a consignment line started because, by the time I finish school, I will already be behind (according to my anxiety). With all the available social media platforms, I just began styling and modeling everything I was finding, which I found to be incredibly satisfying. I sometimes end up keeping items I love too much to let go, but still incorporate them into my business. Because of this, I now offer photoshoot styling services on top of the consignment shop, so when I decide to hoard some pieces, I don’t feel too bad about it. Eventually, I plan on opening a full-blown consignment shop that will allow me to incorporate my other aspirations into my business as well.
I think what separates me from others is my love for the environment; I don’t want to create something that will lead to more destruction of the planet and I want to continue my support of local businesses by including them in my success. I think it’s important to give back to our home by creating things that help alleviate our problems such as reusing things that already exist instead of creating more products that could eventually end up at yet another landfill.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
In general, I feel women are underestimated by their counterparts and we are in turn excluded from so many opportunities. Women are labeled as emotional, weak, unqualified, etc., but these labels simply aren’t true. I have found that being emotional just shows passion and where there is a passion, there is greatness.
However, I want to exude positivity in my interview and I truly believe that my generation will be the turning point when it comes to gender norms in terms of business.
Contact Info:
- Website: HannahHauge.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/hannahhauge
Image Credit:
Personal Photo: Alyssa Gonzales, Styled items: Sharon Rene Photography
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