At the Eskenazi School's May 4 ceremony for its 2024 graduates, Sierra Shambaugh (B.S. Merchandising) shared how her coursework engaged the dual passions she'd nurtured since childhood for fashion and sustainability, and equipped her with the ideas, skills, and confidence she needed to realize her vision: her own vintage store, which opened in Bloomington in 2023. A transcript of Sierra's graduation remarks follows:
Welcome distinguished faculty, proud parents, and the incredible graduating class of 2024. I am honored to be standing before you today, but also, amazed because it seems as though I was only just standing on the brick path for the first time in front of the Sample Gates, the gateway into our beautiful campus, and envisioning the limitless opportunities ahead.
By the time I first found myself in front of IU’s grand entrance, I already had a strong sense of my values. Growing up in the small town of Telluride, Colorado instilled in me the love of nature and an appreciation for sustainability. Nestled in a small box canyon surrounded by gracious mountains, rivers, and waterfalls, Telluride’s beautiful ecosystem is actively protected by the community’s sustainable measures. From a young age, I began to combine my passion for sustainability and fashion design. I would search for materials at thrift stores imagining the potential in vintage prom dresses and other interesting garments to create something new.
However, despite watching numerous sewing Youtube videos, I wasn’t the best seamstress. I began to shift the focus of my treasure-hunting toward personal shopping for family and friends. Thrifting became a thrilling challenge of putting together a cohesive outfit expressing the style of the person I was shopping for. I began to consider getting involved in the business side of fashion so when it came time to apply for college, I researched universities that had business programs with a strong emphasis in retail. That’s how I found the Merchandising program in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture, and Design. I loved how the program emphasized the importance of creativity and applied it to business concepts. IU quickly became my dream school and I felt prepared when I applied, having a close to perfect GPA and playing 3 varsity sports with leadership awards.
That’s when I was waitlisted! However, this setback became a turning point in my life, fueling my drive for perseverance and resilience. When I was eventually accepted a few weeks later, I vowed to be diligent in my work ethic and seize every opportunity. Walking through the Sample Gates for the first time as an official IU student, I felt a profound sense of gratitude to be on the brick road beginning my journey.
During our first week’s meeting with our counselor, he told us that the first day of school is so much more than the start of the school year; it’s the start of our careers. This ignited my determination that I was going to strive to get the most out of my education and blaze my own trail towards success. I valued and prioritized my course work and was enlightened by uncovering my creative thinking, and being able to apply that to team projects, coming up with innovative products and processes for retailers.
All of these skills I learned in class projects and others were invaluable but something else struck me. Each course I took included a unit on the importance of sustainability within the retail industry. It resonated with my deeply held values. Increasingly, I began to see the dark side of fashion that hides behind the glamour. Even though I’d thrifted for years, this realization served as a wakeup call when I began to connect the dots.
There is so much excess clothing that ends up in landfills even after it’s donated to a thrift store (92 million tons to be exact). The fashion cycle is circular, meaning trends always come back around. Combining this awareness with skills I’d redefined in my coursework -- including trend forecasting, market research, and using data analytics to serve and entice the customer -- I started seriously considering starting my own business. I felt the urgency to pioneer my own path and become convinced that there was no better moment to try new things, dedicate time to my passion, and take a risk. The Eskenazi School unleashed a realm of creative innovation I didn’t know I had and gave me the confidence that I could pursue my dream.
In 2021, I created and designed a website called Tailored Thrifts where I sold vintage and secondhand clothing. I applied my coursework concepts in founding my business, embracing the challenges I endured and the mistakes I made along the way to use them as growth points. By 2023, I was able to open my very own storefront in Bloomington. Using merchandising concepts I’d acquired in my courses, such as color psychology and line theory, I sought to transform the customer’s perception of the space from a typical thrift store to looking like an upscale boutique. By steaming and ironing the clothing, organizing them by color and aesthetics, and spacing them on to wooden hangers to avoid overcrowding, I gave the customer a new perception of the curated vintage pieces.
Read: Vintage boutique is Eskenazi student's antidote to fast fashion
Since opening Tailored Thrifts, I’ve spent every minute outside of class at the store or working on the website constantly looking for innovative ways to improve it. I love bringing secondhand fashion back to life, traveling to vintage markets around the world, and spreading the gospel of sustainable fashion.
We make too many excuses for not pursuing our passions in order to avoid the possibility of rejection or failure. The Eskenazi School bolstered my convictions and passions with ideas, skills, and the confidence to pursue my dreams. Think about your own evolution over these past four years. Libby Klein once said, “You will never regret the things you fail, only the things you failed to try.” As we are standing together on the other side of the Sample Gates looking out onto the horizon, I urge you to find the courage to try new things, relentlessly pursue your passions, and take on the world. Here’s to the class of 2024!
