Shops We Love ! Jasmine's Vintage Closet!

Jasmine, owner and creator of Jasmine’s Vintage Closet, has one of my favourite Vintage reproduction brands I've seen on Instagram with the most beautiful, romantic , princess style pieces at an affordable price. Puffy sleeves, long flowy skirts and beautiful lace and ribbon collars and bow details are just some of the features you can expect to find on her beautiful website.  On her Instagram page Jasmine is always sharing her inspiration, the beautiful items she sells along with the lovely girls who purchase them and style them in their own way. Scroll and read to learn about where her inspiration comes from and her experiences selling vintage styled clothing.

Hi Jasmine ! Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from and when you got into vintage styles?

I am from China! Looking back on my life, I’d say I got into vintage styles as early as 12 years old! I didn’t realise back then, but I had a habit of collecting vintage-aesthetic stickers and notebooks, and I spent a lot of time browsing those 50’s 60’s pinup girl posters on the internet as a young schoolgirl. When I actually got into vintage style clothing was during the time I was in uni in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne had lots of vintage brands and shops and charity shops which I visited often.

When did you set up your own online vintage reproduction business and why?

I started up my online shop in mid-January. (It was probably the worst time to set up a business because that was when COVID-19 started to become crazy!) I set up my vintage reproduction business because I wanted to provide an alternative shopping platform for vintage girls who couldn’t find what they really wanted in the high street fashion brands. I also wanted to promote vintage fashion and make it popular again. When I look at the photographs from 40s 50s and 60s, everyone dressed up so nicely, even if they just went out to buy groceries. It is my dream to bring back the good old days!

Where do you source your pieces from and how do you decide which items to choose for your store?

I source my pieces from a network of vintage reproduction suppliers in China. I mainly source dresses rather than individual skirts or blouses because you can think less about how to put an outfit together, you can just put it on and be ready to go out! I know different people have different standards for modesty, but my standards for choosing an item is that its skirt length must be at least knee length long.

Are you yourself into buying vintage and vintage reproductions or do you prefer one or the other? How come?

I am definitely into both! I really enjoy going through dozens and hundreds of vintage items at vintage warehouse sales. It is like a treasure hunt for me. It makes me so happy when I find something that is really cute and actually in my size. I am also into buying from Instagram vintage shops. I bought my wedding reception dress from @archiverie, a well-known Canadian vintage seller. One thing I like about vintage reproductions is that you can be sure they are brand new and are produced in various sizes. It is a plus because sometimes vintage dresses need more care when washing: I bought an amazing 70’s prairie dress but the water was still yellow and sandy after I hand washed it 2 times! And some of the beautiful vintage items I've bought didn’t actually fit, so I ended up not wearing them. With reproductions you don't have these issues as much.

There are three main categories for my store’s style. One is period drama inspired style, one is 40s-60s vogue fashion inspired style and one is flowing and floral fairy style inspired by Gunne Sax. My personal favourite decade for vintage styles is between WWI and WWII!

What do you think is the key to your success with an online vintage retail shop?

I think the key is to establish good customer relationships and respond to their questions, emails and messages quickly.

What is your favourite part about creating and owning your brand? 

My favourite part is that I can make friends with vintage girls who have the same taste in fashion as me! I also like taking photos for the dresses I sell, as I myself is a fan of photography.

What is the most challenging part of owning an online store for you?

The most challenging part for me is trying to find a balance of work and personal life. I’m still working on it!

What would your advice be to someone looking to start their own shop?

First is to decide and establish your own aesthetics for the shop. Second is to be patient with the growth of customers. Give bigger discount at the beginning so that you can make more sales. Then ask your customers for some nice product photos for social media, which is a key to impress potential customers.  

What can we expect from Jasmine’s Vintage Closet in the next few months?

There will be giveaway for every 10k followers we achieve on Instagram! More accessories will be added to the website such as straw hats and flower wreaths.

And of course new dresses!

Where can we follow you on social media?

Mainly we post on Instagram: @jas.vintagecloset .

We are also on Facebook: @Jasmine's Vintage Closet

Of course you can go directly to the store at Jasminesvintagecloset.com 

Thank you so much to Jasmine for sharing her experiences with us!

Make sure you check out Jasmine's Vintage Closet via the links above and send her some love and support !