Today we’d like to introduce you to Magdalena Silva.
Magdalena, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Moved from Poland in 1993 and came to Buffalo, NY. Studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Rochester until I moved to Austin, TX to work for IBM as a System Integration Engineer for 10 years. While working at IBM, I always felt I was meant to do something else. Upon leaving IBM in 2013, I was looking to fall in love with my next adventure. I found just that in Fashion Reloved, a luxury fashion consignment for men and women. I was able to fulfill my passion for couture and commitment to sustainability while helping the world recycle high-end goods. I find great joy in helping clients declutter their closets because in doing so, I am able to make unique fashion pieces accessible to others while promoting eco-friendly habits. My engineering skills also came in handy when building my website through which I sell my consigned pieces. I acquire clients in Austin and the surrounding areas including San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. I sell my consigned pieces worldwide.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have a degree in Electrical Engineering which was not easy to obtain. I worked at IBM for 10 years. I enjoyed the people I worked with, I had good health benefits and the pay was not bad either. Going from engineering into fashion was definitely an unknown. I was, however, selling my own designer items on eBay for quite some time. I truly enjoyed the whole process. When IBM laid me off, I felt as if one door closed and another one opened and I never looked back. I followed my intuition and made my hobby a career. Fashion Reloved became official in 2015. Sometimes, we need to follow our gut feeling and fearlessly try new things.
Please tell us about Fashion Reloved.
I meet my consignors around town and help them make money on luxury fashion pieces they no longer use.
Since I do not have a store, I am able to give 70% of the sale price and my clients receive a very personal experience. I am the one answering their phone calls and emails whenever they have questions for me. If a client has a very valuable handbag they would like to get a certain amount for, I can work with them on that.
Once I receive the items, I post them on my website and any other sites for ultimate exposure. I write item descriptions and take detailed photographs of the items. I communicate with customers, collect payments and ship items worldwide.
Consignors receive their payments on the first of the month as the items sell. I also take creative pictures of the items I sell for the social media (one of my favorite parts of the job).
I am just proud to take part in prolonging the life of luxury goods and limit their amount that goes into the landfills.
Who have you been inspired by?
Can’t think of any at the moment. I just pick up useful bits and pieces from anyone I read about throughout life.
Pricing:
- Items I sell range from $100 and up, more on my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fashionreloved.com
- Phone: 512-627-2102
- Email: service@fashionreloved.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fashionreloved/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FashionRel0ved/
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston 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.
