Fashion and Sustainability: Looking at Two Small Businesses on Campus

by Rose Gruber

If you were asked how our college is sustainable, you might say that the lights in showers turn off after 5 minutes to conserve energy or that we have a pretty robust garbage and recycling system. Maybe you’ll mention the energy conservation challenge happening or the fact that we have a social justice sustainability pathway. Still, you are probably wondering how we are actually contributing to sustainability. I want to highlight two small businesses on campus: Ratamakes and Josie’s Closet.

Ratamakes is founded and owned by Emiliano Camero Cortez, whose pieces have recently had their time in the limelight during POCA’s annual fashion show. Ratamakes was established in July of 2020. Interest in fashion started in Emilianos’ childhood when his grandmother made hats, scarves, and mittens by hand. When he recalled his time shopping in thrift stores, he said it was embarrassing at first because, “you always want what others have, you always want what’s new as a kid. I didn’t understand why we had to thrift. I didn’t know it was sustainable. It’s a reflection of how much money we had and what we needed to do.” Emiliano also noted that he uses a lot of flowers in his work, particularly in flower earrings and jackets, and how this comes from the early influence of his grandmother. “She was always super colorful. She incorporated flowers in her work.”

Emiliano told me about the boredom he faced during the start of the pandemic and how he turned to crochet as a way to pass the time. “I came across this

Brazilian woman on youtube and I learned from her. I started with stuffed animals.” I asked why he started with stuffed animals and Emiliano talked about how, at the time, he spent a lot of time with his younger sister. He helped her with coursework when her schooling went digital and started crocheting stuffed animals and making small trinkets to play with his sister. This was also a healing process for him, “the past couple of years, as a queer person, I always pushed away femininity. I always loved Lisa Frank’s stuff, cute things, but when I realized how gendered things were and I came out, I wanted people to see me as more masculine so I pushed that all away. But I love that stuff, I love Hello Kitty, so this was me letting myself enjoy cute things. It was a way to reclaim that femininity.”

Soon enough, people would commission Emiliano asking, “Can you make me this? Can you make me that? I needed to monetize this!” Realizing there was a market, he decided to start Ratamakes as an official business, signing up for Unity Market which is now an annual spring event. Asking how Unity Markets have gone for him he said, “I was scared the first time. I had no idea what to make… Every time I’ve been to a market, I sold at least half of my stuff. There was one time I sold everything.” He realized just how much of a demand there was and talked about the hard part of starting your own business, “The first two years of Ratamakes, I was pumping stuff out; I was making 20 earrings and several stuffed animals a day. For a long time, I took commissions. I got tired after a while. I didn’t have creative freedom. Often I was making things online so it was not my own. Some people would say, ‘Make me this, but do whatever you want.’ I started designing my own stuffed animals.” This only benefited his business. People clearly enjoy his designs as he continues successful sales at Unity Markets. He advertises that he serves both English and Spanish-speaking people. Since then though, he has become tired of crochet, so he is more focused on jewelry and wire-work and it looks like he is equally as talented! He has also found that, despite these pivots, his audience has not pulled away. He still makes clothing and stuffed animals, even if that is not his main focus anymore, but he said this about re-finding his creative freedom, “It’s like baking. If you’re making cupcakes, you’re starting out with the same base ingredients.” So while he may not take as many creative, client-based commissions, he still continues what he started his business making.

While he is focused on his business, he does not see this as a final destination. He told me how he has met serious entrepreneurs, people who say “Here’s my website, here’s my manufacturer.” This is part of why he appreciates the platform that Unity Market provides; it connects business owners from different backgrounds, with completely different businesses together.

“It gives us a platform to actually be seen.” You can sell some of your things in a “garage-sale-esque” fashion or hand out business cards to potential clients, all in one place. Unity Market is not the only place Ratamakes takes his business. “I’ve sold in Chicago parks because the park district has a program, ‘queering the parks.’ I was part of the team. It’s a youth-led program. We provide food, std testing… There’s games, concerts, we paired with sustainable programs that would give out free binders and underwear.” He wants to continue these ventures, stating he does want to and plans to be at Unity Market this year. He talks about how fashion can be a safe venture and an inclusive outlet for young creatives, planning to bring cross-stitched pride pins. “I don’t own anything pride… making these, I low-key had to hide them in my house. I came out when I was 10, so they know that I’m queer… It’s interesting because there’s the intersection of being Hispanic, I’ve had to come out three times to them. I don’t know where they stand right now. I’m wary about showing too much femininity.”

Emiliano spoke with me about his relationship with art and his impressions of the art world. “When I was really young, I wanted to be an artist but that fell off because artists are poor and I wouldn’t make money… One of the things I try to incorporate is the hand-made aspect of things… It’s what I saw in music, in decoration, in folkloric dresses. I went to a half-Catholic, half-Muslim elementary school. Until 2nd or 3rd grade, we actually learned Arabic. It’s hard because I’m technically an immigrant but I don’t feel like one. I don’t feel like I have the immigrant experience. I try to include these colors and flowers because it reminds me of my childhood, the music I listened to.” Surprisingly, he feels unconnected with his work, despite his clear talent. “I don’t look artsy, I don’t look fashionable. I look bummy. I don’t look like I make this stuff. It’s very un-artistic. This doesn’t look high-fashion. It looks like it was made in Mexico, to me at least, in my eyes.” His work is very meaningful to him and occurred during a time when many of us were grappling with what to do with our time, ourselves, and reflecting on our identities.

“Something I want people to know is that it’s like my journey with my own self-acceptance. It’s okay to be feminine and to like pretty things. I’ve seen older men buying small pretty things and not holding themselves to a standard… I’m still conscious that I’m learning to be comfortable in my own body and expressing myself.” College, as many of us know, is a time when most grapple with our identities and presentation.

Emiliano has, and will likely continue to make, stuffed animals, pins, hats, bags, jackets, and jewelry, but is “in the process of learning how to make clay earrings,” wanting to incorporate more metal, beads, and clay. Despite making some flower jackets, “I wouldn’t say that I’ve made clothes. I have made a couple of sweaters and jackets but I don’t know if that’s what I enjoy the most… Last year, I crocheted during class, in meetings, and in SGA. It’s just something to do with my hands. I’m never not doing something with my hands. It’s a stimulating experience.”

“Right now, I’m designing for Poca’s fashion show. I’m crocheting a top for it… I’ve wanted to take art classes. I remember a first-year seminar about quilting and sewing and knitting. I don’t know why I didn’t [take it].” I asked why and he responded with a familiar comment, “I don’t see myself as an artist. Maybe it’s intimidation. Maybe it’s two things: not seeing yourself as good enough, and I don’t want my creative freedom taken away.”

One thing he has more control over is the future of Ratamakes. “I want to keep this as a hobby. I love making cards, sketching portraits of friends, creating, and making. As long as I’m able to, I want to keep crocheting stuff. I’d be willing to do markets so I could decide what I want to make and how much. I’d still take commissions, but not a ton. I like artsy stuff. I don’t want to marry any one thing. I don’t want to limit myself. That’s why it’s Ratamakes. I’m not married to it but I don’t wanna give it up.” Emiliano takes a very laid-back approach to his business. You know precisely what you are getting. Find him at future presented to the public at her first pop-up shop outside of Cro. I remember that day fondly as I not only acquired my first item from her shop but also learned Josie got engaged!

Unity Markets, possibly the next fashion show, or at his Instagram, found below.

The next small business I want to highlight is Josie’s Closet, founded and owned by Jocelyn (Josie) Pinero. Her business was established in the fall of 2021. She says the idea for the business came from her boyfriend at the time, now her husband. At 16, as one of the youngest members of her family’s church, Josie would receive bags of donated clothes. While she kept some of them, she ultimately donated a considerable chunk of the clothes to prayer tents and Goodwill. Whenever she would donate clothing, Josie and her husband would always joke, “[They’re from] Josie’s Closet!” He suggested that she start a business with all her donated clothes. Then, the pandemic hit. Fortunately, people used this time to revamp their wardrobes. This is when I personally saw a rise in maximalism. Josie’s partner told her, “I feel like this is the best time to do it.” So, she started her research: she watched countless Youtube videos and talked with many people including deans and the Holleran Center to set up a pop-up shop on campus. Josie’s Closet was finally

“I started selling clothes at thrift prices. People would ask me, ‘When’s the next one and do you accept clothes?’ That’s when I began to communicate with other businesses and Unity House.” Because of the increasing presence of entrepreneurs and small business owners on campus, Unity Market was created. This was also when Josie started accepting donations on campus. It all moved so fast and Josie said, “I was still figuring it out. I was still figuring out what IS Josie’s Closet?” She realized she needed to brand her business as she was already developing a clientele. She also had the chance to do more non-profit work which has always been important to her. She connected with The Church on bank street and worked the “New London Sale Fest.” Not only was she connecting with local churches, but she was also gaining local clients. Since then, Josie established a Depop account to concentrate sales since she does not have a permanent pop-up shop. This way, she can keep the business online, get back to her role as a full-time student, and continue her non-profit work in person.

The more I talked with Josie, the more I realized that her faith plays a major role in her business. “I am a believer in Jesus, and I try to follow what the word says, I don’t follow any specific denomination. I decided to actually pursue that relationship with the Lord in college. I had been wanting to do stuff like this [Josie’s Closet] before college. The original vision was to create a foster care system and provide clothes for children.” Now, she enjoys seeing clients fall in love with what she calls

“pre-loved treasures.” Josie said, “I want to show that the clothes are pre-owned, but I don’t want people to equate preowned clothing to used clothing. I want to show that these pieces were loved once before, or else why would I have bought them? Now, they need a new home to be loved. I want to emphasize love. It’s not like they can never be loved again. I want to call them treasures.”

Josie’s Closet has been successful from the start; Josie feels like her business is well-known, especially on campus saying. People continually ask her if Josie’s Closet is going to be at Unity Market. Josie said, “I want to build trust with my clientele and make it clear what I stand for… Clothes are part of your identity. It’s how you express yourself.” The last thing she wants to see is clothing and the resources required to make them go to waste. This is why the clothing drives and clothing swaps at Conn are essential to businesses like hers. When I asked if she planned to continue and expand the business after college, she said without hesitation, “Definitely yes. My hope is to continue pop-up shops. I would love to continue my connection with churches in the area and continue my services. I’ve been leaning toward an online platform for Josie’s Closet when it comes to the business side of things. That’s what my vision is right now. I want to do missionary work after school. I will travel and continue the work I started here. My intention is to live in the community. You think you’re helping a community, but if you don’t know their needs, you’re harming them. I want to be living there for a while to get to know the culture, values, and beliefs. I want to know the history of that area so I could be more sensitive and share what has worked for me and what may help them. Everyone has a sense of goodness and a desire to live an enjoyable life, but not everyone has the resources. I will learn and gain perspectives I’ve never seen before.” This is how she sees herself giving back and continuing to pay it forward.

Because her business is based on a continuous cycle of finding new homes for pre-loved treasures, I had some questions about sustainability. “I did a lot of research on clothing, the production of clothing, and how much waste there is when creating new clothing. I strongly believe we have all the clothes we need on this Earth. We can just continue using the clothes we have and spark new joy rather than creating new clothes. In terms of sustainability, it’s just using what we have. We’re harming this Earth more, harming ourselves. When we get into this consumerist mindset, it hurts our mental health as well. We’re just using clothing to fill that void.” When I mentioned how thrifting has become a trend, especially on social media, and how that trend affects businesses like hers, Josie said, “It can be harmful when people upcycle and upsell. I don’t do that. Everything is donation based.” Josie also offers image consulting to her clients. She looks at what is in their closet, discovers what sparks joy for them, and gives them the language to feel empowered and informed the next time they shop.