Today we’d like to introduce you to Justine Gallo.
Hi Justine, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Sun in Leo happened during my senior year of college (2022), where I created an entirely up-cycled collection with jewelry and clothes. My intention was never to start a business out of school but once I received more recognition from the fashion school, the entrepreneurship program, and even Teen Vogue, I knew I was onto something! I started in the summer working markets and Instagram to get our mission out there. As the brand began to develop, I started talking to the community and found an opportunity at a prime location in downtown Kent’s Acorn Alley. From there, I’ve been able to up-cycle, resell, and repair clothing for my community!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
At the end of the day, there is nothing I’d rather be doing. I took the opportunities as they came to me and relied on timing and my intuition to guide me to my next decision. I find that even the bad isn’t too bad because for every cranky customer is ten more that really care and understand my vision. Self-doubt is what stands in my way, so keeping a balance in my personal life and reminding myself of why I do this makes any road trip maybe not smooth but definitely fun.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sun in Leo?
Sun in Leo is a circular marketplace with upcycled and responsibly sourced clothing and accessories. Circularity is the completion of a linear economy where we can connect the how we source with the how we dispose. Instead of sourcing new, we find secondhand clothing and accessories through thrifting, donations, estate sales, and will either repair, resell, up-cycle, or recycle what we find. There is already so much waste from the fashion industry that redoing textiles is the most sustainable option we have. Because of this, we have one-of-a-kind pieces and vintage clothing that have been laundered and repaired to its best condition. To us, this is the modern day of fast fashion without all the waste! You get new clothes every week while also the best quality vintage that will last you forever. This isn’t about finding a few shirts and wearing one; we want everyone to feel connected to their clothing and confident that they can express their individuality.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
LaunchNet is the entrepreneurship program though Kent State that awarded us with our first grant. Tabitha Messmore was the person who gave us guidance on what to do next and get all of our legal documents in order.
Marina DiFranco was my original Leo business partner that help with initial brainstorming and graphic designing for the brand.
Jarad Abell, owner of Hippie Fox Rocks, is my downtown Kent reference that encouraged me to open a store. He is my encouragement that reminds me I can do this!
Sage Crawford is my first employee. She started during her senior year of high school, and she came with me to markets and helped me open my store!
Nicole Joseph is my current graphic designer that handles my marketing and social media posts. She works heavily at the store and picks up any tasks I need help with.
Emma Rankin is my partner that does the laundry, brings me food, tells me how great the things I make are, and encourages me to chase my dreams and help in any and all ways.
Pricing:
- $5 bin of misc clothing
- up-cycled ranges from $33-$111
- vintage ranges from $11-$55
- jewelry ranges from $5-$55
- accessories $5-$33
Contact Info:
- Website: suninleo.shop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopsuninleo/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Sun-in-Leo/100092397068385/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sun-in-leo-kent?osq=sun+in+leo
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/shopsuninleo/
Image Credits
@_gretabell
@ryanshimko
@piercebartmanphoto
@madebyjustine
