We recently had the chance to connect with Juliana Shun and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Juliana, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Fashion brings me a lot of joy outside of work. It’s both a creative outlet and a form of self-expression for me. Even on low days, the simple act of getting dressed helps me feel grounded and confident. I love moving through the world in eye-catching outfits. It’s a small daily ritual that reminds me who I am.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Juliana Shun. I’m the co-founder and owner of uRexpired, a fashion content creator, thrift enthusiast, and personal stylist rooted in secondhand style and self-expression.
uRexpired is a 100% secondhand brand founded by my partner (both in life and business) and me, built from our shared love of thrifting and sourcing unique pieces. We’re the kind of couple who could thrift all day if we could. Constantly being stopped on the street and asked, “Where did you get that?” with the answer always being, “I thrifted it,” sparked the idea for the brand. We wanted to make it easier for others to have access to that same experience and to proudly say the same thing.
As a fashion content creator, I showcase the world of thrifting through outfit inspiration, personal style, and everyday styling. My content highlights how secondhand fashion can feel intentional, elevated, and expressive. I focus on showing that thrifting isn’t just about sustainability, It’s about creativity, individuality, and building a wardrobe that tells your story.
I’ve been thrifting since 2017, a journey that helped me discover my personal style and redefine how I approach fashion. Today, I use that knowledge to help others find their own style through thrifting whether they’re beginners or seasoned secondhand lovers. Everything I do centers on empowering people to feel confident, creative, and seen through what they wear.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I remember the first time fashion became a visual form of communication for me. It became my vital instrument for navigating the quietness of the world. The doctors didn’t catch my hearing loss after a freak accident. Believed to be caused by amoxicillin. I remember the moment the path of communication opened right before my eyes.
Every audiologist my parents took me to when I was four years old, wore the same things: a white lab coat over a simple short-sleeve shirt, always in a dark color involving the color palettes of cranberry, navy blue, forest green. Don’t get me wrong, not everyone cares about clothing, and audiologists are just people trying to do their job. But I was four years old, with tinnitus screaming so loudly it vibrated through my skull, down my spine, into the back of my neck, and all the way to my fingertips.
The clothing signaled “stranger”, “person of job”, “doctor of something”. Every audiologist labeled me as a misbehaving child, a difficult kid who simply didn’t want to cooperate. A pit began to form in my chest, a feeling I first got a taste of, one that would later grow into anxiety and latch onto my being and completely reshape the way my brain was wired. The feeling of defeat started to crawl through my mind.
Then a light broke through and reached out to me.
When I walked into her office, and she turned, the pit in my chest began to melt away the moment I noticed what this new audiologist was wearing.
Bright red lipstick, black hair into a perfect bob with bangs rested cleanly above her eyebrows. A pair of heels I would later learn to recognize by the sound of their clicking in the hallway. A fun patterned top, and always a midi skirt of slouchy, pleated, tailored pants. And yes, she wore a white doctor’s coat, but the message it sent was completely different. Her whole look communicated fun, warmth, and this glowing sense of happiness.
This is my memory of visual communication through fashion becoming my language for connecting with people.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes! There was a time when I almost gave up on fashion. I found myself caught in a cycle of letting the algorithm define my worth and influence my personal style. At the same time, I was navigating the disappointment of not breaking into the fashion industry the way I had imagined, this was before my brand was born.
Even then, I knew fashion was my calling. I just had to find my own path into the industry, one where my creativity, values, and love for fashion could truly thrive. That moment of uncertainty ultimately pushed me to build something of my own and reconnect with fashion in a way that felt authentic and sustainable.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies the fashion industry tells itself is that it isn’t a major driver of climate change or that surface-level sustainability efforts are enough. Greenwashing has become normalized, with many large brands prioritizing optics over real accountability.
The industry has also convinced itself that extreme overproduction is normal. Releasing thousands of new styles at breakneck speed fuels waste, overconsumption, and environmental damage, yet it’s treated as standard practice.
Materials like polyester are another uncomfortable truth. As a plastic-based fabric, it sheds microplastics every time it’s washed, but consumers are rarely told the full environmental cost.
While progress exists, the truth is the fashion industry still has a long way to go and real change requires slowing down, being transparent, and fundamentally rethinking how fashion is made and sold.
This reality heavily influences uRexpired’s branding. Our name and visual identity draw inspiration from “trash” and things that “expire” to reflect how much usable clothing is treated as disposable. We wanted to challenge the idea that something loses value just because it’s been worn or overlooked. At uRexpired, what’s considered waste is reimagined as worthy, wearable, and full of life.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would leave my 9-to-5 job and focus fully on uRexpired and fashion creation. My goal is to establish a legacy, one that shines a light on the possibility of sustainable fashion and helps others discover their personal style along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://solo.to/julianashun
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/juliana.shun1
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/juliana-shun-a83797194
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@julianashun1
- Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@juliana.shun1
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/julianashun2
Threads: https://threads.com/@juliana.shun
Image Credits
Jojogabbfilm
Juliana Shun
