In Anti-Standard #15 I speak with Kimberly about her online store Cries in Thrift, personal style, and why Rhianna rules the fashion world!
“Storytelling inspires me to create collages that evoke emotion and spark powerful conversations about global issues.”
Anti-Standard! Anti-Standard! What is Anti-Standard? Deep inside your core, somewhere in your stomach lining (bare with me, to some I can and shall be considered a doctor), there is a little bit of anger that remains around the size of rock throughout your adolescence. As you grow up, it gets larger, about the size of a grapefruit, maybe a mango. Sometimes you can harness the anger, train it, and devote yourself to the idea that art is, in fact, for everyone; REGARDLESS of aesthetics, marketability, blah blah blah. Sometimes we just need to make art.
ANYWAY, consider that paragraph your honorary degree from medical/art school which I will be investing my money towards in many years…when my Thrifts and Prints checks that I get weekly from the government finally clear. Until then, I will be crying…crying in Thrift. Speaking of transitions! I previously mentioned the word “marketability” Kimberly Alfaro Jiménez, the owner of Cries in Thrift does in fact make very marketable art. Her digital collages promote her online clothing brand, showcasing the clothes and accessories as the art that they are.
I spoke to Kimberly about social media, the future, and the importance of personal style:
T+P): Do you see the internet as a wonderful portal to the art world or more of a social trap? Or a combination of both? Please! Describe!
K): I believe that it’s wonderful portal for creatives to showcase their individuality. It’s such a diverse platform. There are literally COUNTLESS ways to show self-expression. However, it can become a social trap if you forget that it is not a means to measure how good of a human you are or how incredible your art is.
T+P): What do clothes and personal style mean to you?
K): Clothes means I have a choice to support certain corporations and their practices through my dollars. Personal style means having the ultimate freedom to change like a chameleon. As a multifaceted individual, my style is ever-changing and ever-evolving. You might see me in a piece from the ’80s with another from the ’20s. That’s the art of sticking true to your own magic and not being succumbed to weekly released trends. Fast fashion is an atrocity to humans around the world. Check out “The True Cost”.
T+P): Describe your process of collage work and branding, what would you say inspires you THE MOST?
K): Collaging and branding take a HUGE chunk of time but it definitely feels the most rewarding when I see the final product. Storytelling inspires me to create collages that evoke emotion and spark powerful conversations about global issues.
T+P): When you see Cries in Thrift in the future, what does it look like? DESCRIBE!
K): I see Cries In Thrift on a brick-and-mortar shop in my hometown Philadelphia…and hopefully other locations as well! My biggest hope is to see my brand become a normal practice. An ethically conscious trend that transcends time.
T+P): Is there any artist or celebrity you’ve always dreamed of styling? Or one you’d love to work with, ELABORATE!
K): I would love to work with Rihanna! She is always pushing fashion boundaries. She takes pieces from the runway that may look “bleh” and turns them into BAM! Truly she is a woman ahead of their time so to work with such an icon who now has her own fashion house would be an honor!
Keep up with Cries in Thrift!
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