Today we’d like to introduce you to Shana Atofau.
Shana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
ThC started with an idea to bring together my upbringing, overcoming struggles, and love for thrifting. Growing up I did not have a silver spoon and my mom was a single parent to four of us. She worked hard and provided us with everything we needed and more. ThC was born to give tribute back to my mother and her strength.
As a child you don’t ever really understand adult things, so back then I was very naive and selfish. I would constantly beg my mom to buy me things from name brand places and malls so that I could fit in at school, not knowing that she was making barely enough to keep 5 heads above water. Only until getting to High school did I start to realize that we could not afford the same things that other kids I went to school with could.
My mom was always heavily into thrifting and second-hand items, from furniture to clothing. I was always opposed to receiving clothing from thrift stores and was embarrassed that she would thrift for my brothers and I. When I grew older, I was more aware of our financial standing and was ashamed that I was that selfish as a child. I started thrifting heavily and fell in absolute love.
My wardrobe was slowly beginning to be majority thrifted items, I was bonding with my mom on thrift adventures, and I was walking around in the world looking uniquely different than everyone else. Its a junior in high school I came up with an idea to start a boutique closet of all things thrifted with a friend, we were very excited about it, but it never came to fruition. I went off to college and continued to thrift, never really going to retail stores or malls anymore.
I remember vividly, I was home (Seattle) sitting in the back of my best friends car and just coming out and saying my dream. “I want to start a brand. I want it to be about thrifted clothes and how people can be fashionable at a low cost. I can see events happening with pictures hung up of people I styled in the clothes I thrift. I think I want to call it THC, The Thrift Chronicles. Is that dumb?” – from that day on, I started ThC.
Great, 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?
This journey has been so rewarding and so eye-opening, it was one of the best decisions I have made in life to pursue this dream. There are so many beautiful and positive things that have come from ThC, but it has not been all roses and rainbows.
I would say one of the main struggles was the lack of confidence in my own brand that I was portraying. I always believed in the movement of ThC and what our mission is, but my modesty definitely has gotten in the way at times. Every time someone new would ask what ThC is or what I do (I loathe that question, by the way, it’s so generic), I would stumble to let them know how great ThC is and downplay it. My friends have told me multiple times that ThC is amazing and that I have to also show that when I explain it to other people – and they are absolutely right. There’s a fine line between being confident/proud of your work and being conceited, I just needed to realize that I wouldn’t ever be on the conceited side when it came to ThC.
Another struggle would be the industry itself, fashion and clothing. Vintage is a huge trend right now, that’s why I never really state that ThC is a vintage company, I take pride in saying it is a thrift clothing brand because that is what it is. Thrift has always had a negative stigma around it, but breaking those stereotypes is what I aim to do. Way before the song “Thrift Store” came out, thrifting was for those less fortunate who could not afford to shop at these big name brand retail shops, thrifting was part of a lifestyle. It was part of mine that I tried so hard to hide from, which is why ThC is not only a clothing brand but a lifestyle brand as well. Being in this industry has taught me that many people who claim “vintage” do it to be trendy because it’s in. There are many fake people in this industry and I have a real hard time vibing with people who put out fake aura.
I had left my hometown of Seattle because of the cliques in that small city, if you were not part of a certain crowd then you were not getting recognized for your work. Honestly, you saw the same 5 people constantly being blown up and in my personal opinion they were putting out basic work. In terms of thrift (or they would say vintage) and clothing in general, I felt no one was on ThC’s wavelength. ThC really broke societal standards, stood out, was loud, and just in its own category. I felt crippled and unappreciated in my own city so I decided the best thing to do was uproot and move to LA. Exclusivity is a huge issue in many places, but coming to LA I have more opportunities for ThC to flourish.
One of the highest mishaps that has happened to me with ThC, is being stolen from. Back in December, I was sought after by a vintage store owner in California who wanted to have a section of ThC designs by me. I was very ecstatic so I had curated and reconstructed about 80 pieces and shipped them to California, the store was in the Westminster Mall. I found out 3 months later that the store was shut down (the owner did not relay this information to me) and I received less than half my inventory back with no profit of the sales from the other items. So essentially it was a depressing moment for me being in this business.
Please tell us about ThC: The Thrift Chronicles.
ThC is a multi-facted company and lifestyle brand. First and foremost, we aim to create change in the world, we aim to inspire, be inspired, teach, learn, help others accept their reality and express their individualism, give back to our community, help those in need, community building, and set healthy examples for the younger generation.
Personally, I curate thrifted items (the gems as I like to call them). I reconstruct previously loved items and I make custom pieces for clients. I make YouTube fashion review videos, thrift hauls, and DIY videos.
ThC has been featured in many different events in LA like Trapxart, Cannabis Artflow, and our own Indigenou$ly Lit to being featured in a store in Pasadena, CA called Shanti Creative (shoutout Kaycee!). ThC throws events, fashion shows, pop-up shops, women networking events. ThC has collected donations for non-profit organizations and distributed needs to homeless youth.
As I said earlier, we are a lifestyle brand so we are not defined by one thing. ThC is known for being eclectic and having one-of-a-kind pieces to eccentric fashion shows and good energy. ThC is also known for the people who truly believe in the movement, I include all family and friends in ThC so you never really know who started it, but you know its a mass.
I am most proud of how far ThC has come in such a short period of time. I am proud of the evolution and progression of ThC and to my team and our supporters for making it what it is today. Everything sets us apart from others, from our energy to the pieces we put out and our mission, we are different and we are ok with that.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood would have to be living in Samoa, I was in paradise literally living on an island.
Contact Info:
- Address: 779 E Washington Blvd Pasadena, CA
- Website: www.thcbleulite.com
- Phone: (206) 353-9920
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Bianca Vicente-Crain, Shana Atofau
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
