A Thrift Store Melodrama

If you’ve made it to Uniquely Aligned, you’re probably a part of the generation that loved Mean Girls, that watched in curious envy as Regina George ruled over North Shore High School without damaging a single one of the fingernails from which her designer purses dangled. I remember walking circles on the tile of my bedroom floor in heels, balancing books on my head and emulating the elegance of those I watched glow through my tv screen.

Our shopping habits have become our preferred method of appropriating regality. Yet in the era of fast fashion, the dissatisfaction of buying another mass produced and quickly out of style piece from a performatively personal mega corporation leaves one with a distinct feeling of being nothing more than a part of a cyclic process of economic exploitation. Though our pockets are emptier following one of these shopping excursions,our hunger to reach that “king and queen of the weekend,” “you can call me queen bee” air of confidence and self assuredness remains untouched. 

Corporations aren’t people, no matter how convincing the twitter savvy internet personas they create with personalized social media teams are. The sensation of interacting with something so impersonal and alienating is one of the most distinctly dissatisfying sensations of our time. While clothing is supposed to be a form of expression and individuality, it often feels frustratingly difficult to make your wardrobe reflect that in the modern day.

Meet Isabelle Lieblein. She is a 20 year old student at Kettering University and the SOLE founder, owner, and employee of the zero waste clothing brand Altered Perception. Lieblein started with a simple idea, something that should never have progressed beyond an easy hobby from which to profit from, “I originally just wanted to resell thrifted clothing, starting out with some of my own stuff I wanted to donate. I saw Instagram pages doing it and thought I could do it better.” 

Yet as Lieblein continued studying fashion, she took particular inspiration from Madeline Pendleton, owner and founder of a store similar in mission to Altered Perception, Tunnel Vision. After extensive research, inspiration drawn from the likes of Dolls Kill, Forever 21, and Baddda Lieblein bought a domain, collected her materials and set to work on a now iconic staple of her brand, the Eyes On You design. 

This birthed a dedicated mission on Liebleins part to create a brand that was honest, transparent, and zero waste- without being zero appeal. While gathering inspiration for her brand Lieblein noted a despairing dearth of zero waste brands that were as vibrant as her typical wardrobe. “I want to be good to the environment but I don’t want to have to wear muted colors to do it. Some people love dressing like that, but that’s not me, and I knew that there had to be others feeling the same way,” she said.

Channeling the psychedelic, dreamy, and vibrant characteristics of her personality, Leiblein crafted the first pieces of her brand and recruited her friends as models. As another core aspect of her company Lieblein adamantly refuses to photoshop any of her models appearances, only editing pictures for color and lighting. “I never photoshop them, because I hate all of the photoshop and distortion of beauty that has become the norm in our society. Everyone’s beautiful!!!” 

Due to the fact Lieblein runs the entirety of Altered Perception herself, she dedicates an indescribable amount of personal effort into the strict zero waste policy of the brand. On her website she describes some of the measures she takes to be as transparent as possible, “Most companies forget the fuzz on the scissors from cutting fabric, the extra thread after sewing, the packaging items come in, tags on items, etc. But I do not. I collect every single bit. All of it I have stored to make new clothing out of, have used to make new clothes, or am using it right now!” 

Altered Perception will soon be closing temporarily as Lieblein studies abroad until July, but she stresses her mission is far from over and AP will be returning stronger than ever in the summer. “I have so many dreams, visions, and ideas I hope to be able to put in place. For now it is just a side hustle, but it is also my passion and I’m excited for the future. These past months I’ve gained a true sense of my brand and what I want it to be, and already have a collection in the oven,” she emphasized. 

Lieblein is a leader of a generational movement that turns away from pre packaged, impersonal, and exploitative trends in favor of a thrift store melodrama. Tailoring old pieces, discovering the history behind a lucky find, and supporting small artists like Lieblein directly are ever increasingly popular methods of self liberation. Other methods which both myself and Lieblein favor include reducing plastic waste in our daily lives, using reusable cutlery, bags, straws, and other materials. I’ve also began saving packaging labels, wrappers, and other pieces of “trash,” which I use in collage party nights with friends, creating art out of what would’ve been materials discarded in a landfill. 

Repurposing what the ultra rich deem worthless is an act of empowerment, a figurative middle finger to the gate keepers of fashion and regality, a reclamation is our ownership to the melodramatic.