Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Valentine.
Hi Hannah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been selling and reworking vintage and secondhand clothing for the past five years. When I was young, most of my clothes came from thrift stores (and to be honest most of my clothes still are), so I was raised on thrifting at a young age. I also began drawing and painting at a young age as well; I was always doodling and painting growing up. At the age of five, I was diagnosed with Systemic Scleroderma, a chronic, incurable, autoimmune illness that has made my life come with many challenges. I deal with chronic pain every day and the medications I’ve taken over the years have weakened my body. I grew up with many challenges, and as I got older, the joint pain and migraines just got worse. When I turned 16, all my friends were getting “normal” jobs, while me on the other hand, I couldn’t because I was taking a heavy medication that left me bedridden in pain for days at a time. Only 2-3 days of the week during my entire high school experience did I feel “okay”, let alone get a “normal” job.
So, I decided to work myself and I got into selling vintage and thrifted clothing that I reworked into brand new, funky pieces. I started by selling clothes from my own closet that I didn’t wear on Depop, and from there I fell in love with every aspect of it. Getting to rest when I need to, working at my own pace, and being able to turn a hobby into a job are just a few of the many reasons why I love selling clothes online. In December 2019, I went into remission (which meant no more heavy medicine which meant no more migraines), and I just completely launched myself into my business. I started making more custom items like screen-printing shirts with my designs on them, painting my favorite cartoon characters on denim jeans, sewing letters from t-shirts onto other shirts to make words and so many other spurts of random DIY clothing drops. The time that I spent in bed, I now spent DIYing, painting, sourcing, making posts on social media, listing, photographing, printing, shipping, and doing so many other fun small business things I couldn’t do previously. After months of hard work, I became a Top Seller on Depop in July 2020, and I was never more proud of myself. Today, I still sell on Depop– my brand name is Ghost Soda — and I am currently going to school for fashion design and social media marketing. I can’t wait to see where my brand goes in the future!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have always had the drive, motivation, and passion for thrifting and being a creative, but my physical and mental health have made my journey more difficult. I was on chemotherapy ages 5-19 to treat my Systemic Scleroderma, and during those years I suffered muscle pain, joint pain, and migraines as side effects from the medication. I am now 20, off my medication, and I am thankful that I am alive, healthy, and in remission. For more than half of my life, I’ve dealt with depression, anxiety, and OCD, all of which I still deal with to this day. I am a very independent and strong person, and the things I have been through have just made my will to succeed be stronger.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What’s wild is that I have a passion for alternative clothing, but my style is all over the place! Throughout the years, I’ve experimented with customizing and creating new alternative clothing in so many ways like screen-printing my own designs onto thrifted clothing, cutting letters from t-shirts and sewing them onto other t-shirts to make cool words and phrases, tie-dying, crocheting, and most recently, I am getting into making bondage pants and shorts with chains, straps, and other punk stuff. I am still figuring out the aesthetic and niche I want my brand to follow, but I know I need to make my brand inclusive, sustainable, and alternative clothing for all. Sustainability is the most important part when it comes to my clothing brand: I do my best to make sure all of my materials I use in my DIYs are secondhand or thrifted. The fast fashion industry is absolutely destructive to our planet, and I don’t want my brand to contribute to the waste, child labor, slave labor, and so many other horrible things that fast fashion endorses. I am proud of every accomplishment I’ve ever achieved regarding my brand because I know I work paid off and I did it completely by myself. To being featured in Grav3yardgirl’s videos on YouTube to reaching over 15,800 followers on Instagram, I know I built this brand from the ground up myself, and that’s the most fulfilling and proud feeling ever. The fact that despite my diagnoses, chronic pain, and mental illnesses I still continue to work hard every day and not take a day for granted, I think that sets me apart from others. Being able to push through rock bottom and come out the other side really puts life into perspective for me!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is to be thankful for everything. I am thankful for my good health; I am thankful for the roof over my head; I am thankful for my ability to run a successful small business and the community I’ve built online. I spent so many years of my life on a horrible medication that restricted me to my bed for three days a week in pain, not being able to even turn over in bed without full-body pain and racing migraines. But, the day the doctors told me I was in remission and I no longer had to take that medication, I knew I had so many things I wanted to do, now pain-free. This freedom from my medication has left me strong, independent, and thankful for every day I go without that medication. Being healthy enough to go into remission, run a successful small business, and being able to experience life to the absolute fullest is just indescribable.
Contact Info:
- Email: shopghostsoda@gmail.com
- Website: www.depop.com/ghostsoda
- Instagram: instagram.com/shopghostsoda
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopghostsoda/
- Youtube: YouTube.com/c/ghostsoda
