Today we’d like to introduce you to Dimi Sovinski.
Hi Dimi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started dabl the summer before my senior year in college (June 2017) as a creative outlet. In the beginning, all of my products were handmade, but as I attended more markets and developed, I started sourcing and selling vintage + upcycled apparel and accessories. I drifted and shopped second-hand a lot growing up, and as I learned more about fast fashion, its tremendous negative impact on the environment, and the human rights violations that occur in the manufacturing of fast fashion, I wanted my business to become an affordable alternative.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Yes and no. COVID was one of the biggest obstacles. In 2019 I quit my day job and opened a brick-and-mortar store front in Clintonville with another female entrepreneur. Less than a year later, COVID hit, and we were forced to decided whether we wanted to resign our lease when the world was so unpredictable. In the end, we decided to come our doors. I went back to work full time, and Dabl went back to being a side project for me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am known for curating vintage and secondhand apparel and accessories. Fashion is cyclical, so whatever is trending now was popular in the past at some point, so instead of buying new fast versions of these items, I curate them for you from secondhand and vintage pieces. I am also known for upcycled pieces- specifically embroidering designs onto old garments and giving them a new life, as well as custom charm necklaces and bracelets, which I make from a mix of vintage charms and new jewelry components.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Sustainability and anti-fast fashion is a hot subject right now. I hope that it is more than a fleeting trend and we will see people’s interest in these topic increase. I think the demand for curated secondhand/vintage will continue to grow as more people learn about the dark side of fast fashion.
Pricing:
- Most apparel I sell ranges from $10-$75
- Most jewelry I sell ranges from $20-$80
Contact Info:
- Website: shopdabl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopdabl/
