Meet Miranda Ye | E-commerce Business Owner & Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Miranda Ye and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miranda, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

A few months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had gotten used to online shopping as an alternative to malls or in-person retail stores. I found myself constantly returning to fast fashion sites, due to my appeal towards their never-ending supply of “trendy” clothing at extremely cheap prices. I knew that fast fashion had its drawbacks, but I had never fully grasped the nature of them until I happened to stumble upon several articles and posts spreading awareness on the harmful environmental, social, and economic impacts of fast fashion. Seeing these posts piqued my curiosity, and I was interested in learning more.

Fast fashion refers to cheaply priced garments that are rapidly produced by mass-market retailers in order to maximize on current trends. Fast fashion has massive disposability and turn-over rates, and leads to overproduction, over-consumption, and textile waste. Additionally, the fast fashion industry was built on the exploitation of garment workers and their labor, and these workers often experience poverty-level wages, poor working conditions, and gender-based violence and discrimination. At the time, I was shocked and disappointed to know that I had been oblivious to all the issues hidden behind the facade of cheap, trendy clothing. As I began to look into alternatives to shopping fast fashion, “secondhand” was a term that consistently popped up. I had experience buying secondhand before, specifically from thrift stores or on selling platforms such as Poshmark, but had never thought of shopping secondhand as something I could do long-term. However, I wanted to prove myself wrong. With some more research, I found that there were many online shops on Instagram that sold affordable secondhand clothing, and was able to make a commitment to shop secondhand as much as possible. And knowing that I had a surplus of unworn clothing sitting in my closet and a love for thrifting, I was inspired to create my own online platform to sell secondhand clothing. Thus, EBBNFLOWCOLLECTIVE was born.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

My business is EBBNFLOWCOLLECTIVE, a forum founded in September of 2020 for shopping curated secondhand clothing. My business was inspired by a love for sustainability in fashion, along with the need for greater accessibility to it! EBBNFLOWCOLLECTIVE is an Instagram-based platform that releases clothing for customers in “volumes” multiple times a month. These volumes are part of larger collections, and aim to sustainably follow the style trends of each season. EBBNFLOWCOLLECTIVE celebrates the enduring lifecycle of clothing, and strives to make secondhand clothing widely accessible for everyone. Shopping secondhand encourages conscious consumption, provides customers with unique pieces, allows for liberation from fast fashion, and has a plethora of environmental benefits. The phrase “Ebb and Flow” itself is an idiom for the “recurrent or rhythmical pattern of coming and going.” This phrase embodies things that change regularly, and I thought that it would be perfect to describe both fashion and the lifecycle of secondhand clothing. I hope that this shop greatly reduces the stigma behind shopping secondhand, and that it will help redefine the meaning of what it means to shop pre-owned.

Running this business has been a one-person venture! I’m in charge of sourcing for new pieces, taking pictures, graphic design, copywriting, accounting, shipping out items, managing social media and customer relations, etc! Although this gets overwhelming at times, I am constantly reminded that my efforts are worth it. Not only has this business given me an online community of some of the kindest, most eco-conscious, and passionate people that I have ever met, but I have also had the immense privilege of being able to donate 10% of my proceeds from the shop each month to grassroots organizations or mutual aid groups. So far, I have donated over $150 to groups such as NAMI, ACLU, NAPAWF, Feed the People Dallas, NDN Collective, and United We Dream. I am eternally grateful that this platform has allowed for me to find an intersection between business, spreading the message of sustainability in fashion, and giving back to the social issues and causes I am passionate about.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is the perfect question for me, because I’m constantly looking for new restaurants to try out and absolutely love finding new spots or hidden gems in the city! I live in Plano, which has an amazing itinerary of restaurants, places to visit, etc. I would first recommend a stop by Legacy West and Shops at Legacy, two classic locations that almost everyone from Plano has been to! Legacy West and Shops at Legacy are both spacious outdoor shopping malls with retailers, eateries, etc. Places like Legacy Hall are the perfect place to try out new foods (large variety of eateries inside!) and to relax or listen to live music in the Box Garden. Other must-try restaurants in this complex are Earl’s Kitchen, North Italia, Tommy Bahama, and CAVA. Another location that anybody visiting Plano has to visit is The Boardwalk at Granite Park. The Boardwalk is a unique area with retail, hotel, and waterfront dining options. This area is perfect for outdoor gathering and socializing, and the concept is the coolest! Some restaurants here that I love include Union Bear (their flatbread is amazing!), The Biscuit Bar, and Chip’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers. Lastly, I would recommend checking out the complex with delicious Asian cuisine such as Burning Rice, Somi Somi, Marufuku Ramen, Sul n Beans, and Kura Revolving Sushi Bar. This area is absolutely filled with amazing eateries for lunch, dinner, dessert, and everything in between.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my friends and loved ones, who were endlessly supportive of my business idea, and to the abundant amount of other secondhand shops that continue to inspire me. Because those close to me shared the same enthusiasm as I did towards starting this online selling platform, I was able to truly believe in my vision. Additionally, I never would have considered starting my own shop if it weren’t for the countless number of other secondhand shops that I discovered when first searching for alternatives to shopping fast fashion. After buying from one for the first time, I was hooked. I saw that their efforts towards their small businesses and love for sustainability was unmatched by any big corporations or fast fashion sites, not to mention that the pieces I got quickly became unique staples in my closet. I grew from their advice and support, and was compelled to share the new world that they had shown me to others.

Instagram: @ebbnflowcollective

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miranda-ye-b6699a18a/