Episode 101: Jessie Freschl

Written By lori kranczer

Join Lori in a conversation with Jessie Freschl, CEO of Freschstyle and Founder of Repurpose Wardrobe, as they explore how luxury fashion can be a catalyst for meaningful change and sustainability. This is just one powerful example of how creativity and purpose can come together to make a lasting impact!

 

Here are the things to expect in this episode:

  • Jessie’s journey from a fashion background to founding Repurpose Wardrobe.

  • The inspiration behind Jessie’s decision to create a nonprofit centered around luxury clothing.

  • How fashion can build relationships, foster learning, and develop skills.

  • How Jessie’s Renew Program supports and empowers students.

  • And much more! 

 

 
 
 

Episode Transcript

You're listening to the positive impact philanthropy podcast, where we share the journey with everyday philanthropists as they incorporate philanthropy to their lives. Philanthropy is a personal journey, and the stories we'll share here, we hope that it sparks something in you and how you can make your own philanthropic impact in the world. I'm your host. Lori Kranczer, attorney, philanthropic advisor and legacy giving strategist. Together, we're going to explore what it looks like to be an everyday philanthropist and make a positive impact in the world. Before we get started, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode posted on Wednesday. So everyone I am so excited to introduce today and have on our show. Jessie Freschl, she is the CEO of freschstyle and the founder of Repurpose wardrobe. Welcome Jesse. 


Speaker 2

Thank you so much for having me. Lori, 


Speaker 1

Oh, it is our pleasure. So Jessie, start us off. Tell us more about yourself. 


Speaker 2

I guess I've been tagging myself as a little bit of a serial entrepreneur in the conscious consumption space as a way of background. I grew up in fashion. My grandmother had a bridal shop that she opened in 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was born in the late 70s, and literally grew up taking naps in the fitting rooms. Seamstresses taught me how to sew my dolls' clothes when I was very little. So fashion kind of is something that literally is in my blood and something that I've grown up with. I moved to New York in 2010. I was pregnant with my second child, and had a two year old in tow, and I had previously been running my family's business for about 10 years, and I had brought in like a whole ready to wear department that actually still exists. The business is still open and operated by my mother, and I moved out to New York City with obviously pregnant two young children. Had my second daughter, and kind of took a year off to figure out what I was going to do, and then fell into, kind of organically styling. Met my very first client doing yoga, and she needed a dress for her husband's 50th birthday, and so I styled her, and she loved what I found, and that kind of opened up doors to this business. And so I launched freschstyle


02:30

in late 2011


Speaker 2  02:34

and has just been on a whirlwind ever since then. My very first client that I just mentioned that we styled was grew up in New York City. Her husband was very well respected in finance, and it opened up a lot of doors because she was very well connected. And then it was just kind of this ripple effect of a lot of referrals. And built that business in 2016. I was in New York Magazine, best of for personal styling, and I ended up kind of realizing and recognizing, while I had about a dozen clients that were in kind of that ultra high net worth category, they were constantly buying luxury clothing and then getting rid of it and making room for additional pieces in their wardrobe. And simultaneously, at the time, I was sitting on a small nonprofit board that brought yoga and mindfulness into New York City schools called bent on learning, and noticed that they were always in need of fundraising and financial donations. And I thought, wow, what if we take clothing and we resell it and then we give a percentage of the proceeds back to a nonprofit like that could be a revenue stream and a unique way of cultivating interest in a smaller organization by exposing it through a new lens of shopping. So that became kind of wildly successful. We did that for a couple of years on a consignment model, and then I realized, what if I actually built a nonprofit and did this so that is Repurpose Wardrobe, which is nonprofit. We were founded in March27 of 2020 and we've had quite a few pivots and iterations. We were initially a grant giving organization, always with the ability to give job readiness training to individuals that were looking to come into the fashion space from disadvantaged communities. And we were, we launched in 2020 so that was kind of a year. Yeah, a very interesting year. Initially, the model was also to partner with other organizations, as we were a grant giving organization, to partner with them in a pop up kind of setting. So it would be cultivating a community. We did a 2019, proof of concept with Bridget Monahan and Girls Inc of New York City. We raised in one night $13,000 for them. And we had training. We had trainees in from strive, which is an amazing nonprofit that brings incarcerated individuals into the workforce. We had two trainees that were younger. They were teens that had been in juvenile detention, and they were coming back into the workforce, and it was amazing. And worked with them for about like six weeks, paid internships. And then that was 2019, we got our application in, we got approved, and then I was like, well, now why? Because we can't do in person events for any foreseeable future. That was our first pivot. We kind of put together all of the strategy, and then when we were able to open up, we actually opened up our first retail location on Madison Avenue and 84th Street. We had a landlord that was actually doing some development work, but it had been paused because of COVID, so he had this space that he was going to be tearing down, and he was able to give us a percentage of sales, incredibly kind developer that gave us the space for like 7% of our sales. We did amazingly well. We were welcomed in the Upper East Side Community of New York City with open arms, and people were so excited at what our mission and our values were simultaneously, the board had decided that we were going to split the grants of money that we received to help COVID Kind of just really address those communities and the impact that COVID had had on to women and families. So we focused on women in need, which is the largest provider of shelter in New York City for homelessness, National Alliance of Mental illness that focused on mental health and world central kitchen, as in food security. So we were able to give away at the end of the year, close to about $100,000 in grants we opened up in May. And then we had our second pivot, which was we lost that space, and we had to go into, like, paying full amount of retail rent. And we moved down to Soho, we ended up trying to kind of pivot towards the clientele, and we realized that we were running more of a retail operation than we were able to focus on the job readiness training, which we were seeing was having such impact on students that were coming out of two years of kind of isolation. So now here we are today. We've moved out of retail. We have a showroom on 36th and 9th, and our mission is really still to transform the luxury market into like a force for good, but we're really doing that by empowering New York City Youth through job readiness, training, personal development and mentorship. And we really believe that fashion can be a platform for change. So we are focused on giving students training through our program called the Renew program, which is building a workforce that is able to focus on different facets of the fashion industry. There's four different pipelines, and then we're really focused on personal development, networking, how we have one on one mentorships that are going on, and creating kind of a pipeline for students to then get placed into full time positions within their respective industries. 


Speaker 1

Thank you for sharing all of that so many details, and I'm glad. I didn't even interrupt, because there are so many things in there that I would have asked you, what's so important about what you were saying is, number one, it doesn't just happen easily, right? So a lot of people, there are pivots, there are hiccups along the way. And it's incredible to share what challenges that you came across, and how you were able to get over those obstacles and how your model changed a bit over time and over a short period of time as well, which is really interesting. What I love about the mission, what you're doing, is that there's really at least two components to it, right? So you have the sustainability component of it, with the fashion, and then there's the job readiness and the training. So can you speak more, a little bit about those two? And if there's anything else in there that I'm missing, 


Speaker 2

Yeah, 100% from the standpoint of somebody that grew up in a kind of luxury fashion, I also didn't, I mean, we came by a very modest means as a family growing up, so it wasn't something that I was like surrounded by, that I was getting dressed in elaborate clothing. I had a lot of hand me downs for my two older brothers. We were living kind of in a single parent home, and there were a lot of stresses with that. So I think for me, one of the things that I realized within my career trajectory, when looking back, one of the things that I think sets me apart in my successes, were the mentors that I've had along the way, and those mentors came from so many different walks of life, and this intercultural thing actually naturally happened within a bridal shop, because you have the back of the house that's just as important as the front of the house, right? And although the clothing and the idea around the clothing is luxury fashion, like the seamstresses all were primarily Eastern European. Many of them were leaving in countries that were at risk of losing their lives from communist countries. There were stories that I remember sitting around eating like borscht when I was sick with these seamstresses, and hearing their stories of, like, the potato fan, like, there's so many different walks of life. And then as I grew up older and like, and was on the sales floor selling the clothing. The women that I was working with were also incredibly successful women, especially when I launched the ready to wear an apartment at the bridal shop. So then we were carrying like Carolina Herrera, Monique Lhuillier, Temperley London, and Yigal Azrouel. So all of these women that were coming in to shop were women that were doctors, lawyers, CFOs and major companies, and they were inspirational, and it actually served quite a bit as mentors as I became friends with them. So my career trajectory, yes, like, there were lots of things that my institutional education taught me, but those real hard skills that you learn, or something that I had access to a network and with Repurpose and the Renew program, we have the pipelines for educating students. And many of our students are coming from all over New York City. They're coming from New York City Youth and Community Development programs, so it's their first exposure to fashion or luxury fashion, and they're interested in learning about it to students that are in graduate school, are getting their bachelor's at fit, and they are really focused on fashion, but haven't had the ability to really have their hands on what luxury fashion means. So there is also a natural intercultural thing that's happening in the program itself, with the students that we're teaching, and they're teaching one another great skills of just how to communicate and connect with one another, as well as we're helping them build their networks and develop long lasting relationships


Speaker 2 12:34

and give them a new lens of what sustainability looks like in the luxury fashion space, which is really interesting, because today, more than ever, we really need to look at how we're consuming, yes, the tariffs and and all of that. But just overall, the impact that the fashion industry is having on the climate is really significant and kind of scary. So being able to teach students luxury fashion through a different lens is really powerful. 


Speaker 1

Yeah, the things that I'm getting, I'm jotting down some notes people know that I jot down to see these patterns and what our guests are talking about and relationships is seems to be a very common thread there. I think that you're talking about and using fashion as a method to increase relationships, learning and developing skills, and also with the added benefit of being sustainable. I think it's a fantastic model that you're using. I'm curious where you went from for profit business to developing this nonprofit. Was there a moment that was of this inspiration, or a certain person that inspired you to create this in addition to having your successful for profit business? 


Speaker 2

That's a really good question. I think, working with clients that have their names on buildings and on streets, and like their last names that in New York City, these are the top echelon of philanthropic givers in our city, which is an incredible city, and they're incredible individuals, each one of them. How could I do something as well that's philanthropic within my industry, even though I have not nearly as much means? I think that was an inspiration. And I think my grandmother always, always taught me, as well as my mother, that giving back is incredibly important. Like, always, if you're feeling down, there's somebody else that's suffering even more so, like, how can we repair and make things more equitable for individuals? I have three daughters. They're also a huge driver for me. Maybe this is, like, too personal or too self deprecating, but having my six year old at one point saying, like, oh, my mommy is a fashion stylist like, was almost like a dagger to my heart, like, because I'm way more than just like, people want to label you as something like, oh, a fashion stylist like, I style rich people like, for seems so superficial, there is a drive that, like, I want my kids to be able to look at me and be like, Oh, wow. My mom made an impact and did something unique and different, and I also recognize the privilege of which I live, and I don't say that in a negative way. I say that in a way of like, how can I take that privilege and do good with it, which is kind of what I'm doing or talking to at least? 




Speaker 1

So I always say that our giving is not in a vacuum. So I'm curious if you could think back even though you mentioned your three daughters by thinking back to your childhood. When was the first time that you did something that was philanthropic or giving back? Can you think of a moment? 


Speaker 2

I mean, the first thing that comes to mind are the blue and white JNF, like, I think it was JNF sadaka boxes and how you would, like, fill those up and bring them home and, like, try to fill it up. And it was that, I think was probably the very first memory that I have of giving but my stepdad, my stepfather and I would give out turkeys at Thanksgiving to a lot of his tenants. He had properties in a neighborhood that was pretty poor, and we would go and hand out turkeys every Thanksgiving to all of his tenants. So that was something I feel like I was kind of raised in it, but yeah, the blue and white tobacco boxes when I'm talking about that. 


Speaker 1

So do you talk about your philanthropic endeavors with your daughters? 


Speaker 2

Yeah. I mean, my daughters have seen me build repurpose, and they've seen the growth. My oldest daughter is a junior in high school, and she's actually interned with us last summer, and so she got to kind of see firsthand a little bit more of what we're doing. And my daughters have been from a very young age, very kind of charity. We've gone to soup kitchens. We've made food for people that are homeless and handed them out. That was one of my daughter's ideas during Yom Kippur. There's definitely always been an emphasis on charity and giving back. And I think they, I'm not sure they grasp 100% but they also, we also share a lot of stories around the dinner table about our days. So certain you like the rose thorn bud thing, and they've heard lots of roses, of students that I have been really touched by that are making great strides in the program. 


Speaker 1

Well, I see a lot of what you're doing, and personal life and your work in the philanthropic space of engaging that next generation. So it makes sense to me that it encompasses everything within your life. And so I wonder, what is your impact like? What is it that you would like to see happen with the work that you're doing?


Speaker 2

I think that I would love to see our community of supporters grow and people understand I love that you have heard over and over again, like the importance of relationships, and I had a meeting this week with an incredible professor at NYU who is studying relational intelligence, and that's just the ability to actually connect and communicate and ask the right questions. And so if the impact that I have is being able to cultivate a community of supporters and increase the amount of people that we're touching, that we're impacting within the students that don't have the same type of network or opportunity that comes naturally to them, that we can provide that for them, within the community of supporters and mentors and volunteers, as well as the networks of businesses that would be coming to us as serving as like a resource to be able to place these students into positions that would be amazing to see that impact grow. And eventually, people always say to me, what's the scalability of this? And that's hard for me to answer. I would love to be able to see this down the line. I think now we've pivoted and pivoted, and I think we're finally on the right trajectory that down the line we can open these organizations or job readiness kind of training centers around different cities that, again, as I mentioned, I have three daughters. My 17 year old daughter has an incredible network that's going to help support her get to college and beyond. Right? A lot of other students are so bright and they don't have that simple network, or even the skills. So being able to provide that, I think, is just really impactful for our next generation. 


Speaker 1

That's great. Can you share a little bit for we're going to get to our last question soon, but I would love for you to share a little more for our listeners about how you do raise funds to support the philanthropic efforts that you're doing the different programs that you have. 


Speaker 2

When we had a retail store, we were relying a lot on the resale of the clothing as providing funds. We are now focused directly on philanthropic giving, so foundational, eventually we're going to start we've written several different grants, but as a young organization now, we're doing a little bit more grant applications as well as we've launched late last year, the giving collective, which is something that we're very excited about, it is basically a community that believes in the platform of what we are doing. And by joining the giving collective at three different levels, you join a community of changemakers that believe in our mission and can volunteer as mentors with our students. Can come to different mentoring specific events, with our advisory board, with our board of directors, we have an incredible network as well, and have first access to a lot of collaborations that we're doing. Then the other revenue stream that has been really great for us is cause marketing. And so working with other brands that are focused on sustainability, that are our partners and pipelines for future employment. For example, we just did an event with Mason Marche, which is a traveling pop up. They had brought in all these eco-friendly brands, and we did an event, actually, I hosted at my home, and it was literally busy Lori, from 9am until 7pm and everybody that came had an incredible time. We had two of our trainees there that were working side by side with the Mason Marche people. They had an incredible opportunity learning firsthand what a store kind of looks like, but in an intimate way, and making those personal connections. So there's lots of different opportunities of getting involved, but those are our strategy right now. And then we have some exciting fundraising events that we're planning throughout this year and next year to help raise those critical funds. 


Speaker 1

Fantastic. So it's a great learning experience as you grow, for everyone to hear the way that you've pivoted, the way that you've changed, the way that your funding model has changed. And it's important to know that it's not always going to be static, and it's that it's either not working out, or it does work out, because there are always ways to change.


Speaker 2 22:23

I mean, yeah, so we are, literally, we're we're. Our hopes are, by the end of the year, we're able to actually take the funds from the sales of the clothing that we sell and provide scholarships to the high school students that we serve to continue their educational paths and journeys. 


Speaker 1

Incredible. Okay, so in just a moment, I will want you to share where one can find out more information about everything you've just mentioned and all the different nonprofits also that you've mentioned throughout our time. Here we will put all the links to all those incredible nonprofits also in the show notes. Everyone can check them out. But our last question, Jessie, we always ask everyone, what do you consider your legacy to be? 


Speaker 2

Oh, wow. I think my legacy, I would hope that my legacy would be that I created space for people to make authentic connections with one another. 


Speaker 1

I love that. That's fantastic, and it goes with what I wrote down with relationships and your patterns, so it's consistent. So Jessie, where can people find out more information about you and all the work that you're doing? 


Speaker 2

Sure My website is Jessiefreschl.com, it links to all my businesses. Shoprepurpose.org. LinkedIn. You can find me and shop repurpose, as well as freschstyle. And I guess sub stack is one that I'm writing regularly on and shop repurpose also has their own sub stack as well as, of course,


23:51

Instagram, but I'm not that active on there. 


Speaker 1  23:54

Right. Well, fantastic. We're going to add everything to the show notes, so everyone that's listening. Thank you for joining us. Thank you, Jessie, this has been so incredible to understand and learn about this model that has really changed and grown quite a bit in the few years that you started this. So it's incredible to hear this story and for everyone that's listening, thank you. And we can follow us on our channel, we are switching things around, so be certain to check in and subscribe because you're gonna notice some differences in our podcast very soon. So you can tune in on Wednesdays when new episodes are dropped and. We'd also love to hear your feedback, so leave a comment and rating about what you like and what you'd like to hear more about and Jessie thank you again. 


Speaker 2

Thanks Lori


Speaker 1

Thank you for joining us. I hope we provided some insights and inspiration that you can use for your own philanthropic journey. You can tune in on Wednesday when new episodes are dropped. We would love to hear your feedback so leave a comment and a rating about what you liked and what you would like to hear more about. And if you liked the episode today be sure to share it to raise awareness about the story, to inspire other women to take action. I'm Lori Kranczer, and until next time you can make a positive impact through philanthropy every day. Thanks For Listening.

lori kranczer
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Episode 100: Gloria Feldt