“I dressed in bright colored shoes while everyone else wore black and white, always had a purse full of random goodies that I never actually used, oh, and I never left the house without accessories!”
Time can tell us how fashion has evolved and how style has become more than what we’d ever imagine it to be — a deep and true part of who we are that we are asserting out into the world to speak for us.
Florida stylist and small business owner, Lauren Blocker (@FreckledLaur) shares with us her creative secrets to success and how fashion has been part of her everyday lifestyle.
Lauren, known as Freckled Laur on the internet is a media presence and owner of Preloved n’ Reloved, a business open to the public, created to promote sustainability and saving the earth through thrifting for clients. As a fun-loving and cheerful personal stylist, she is conscious about the outcome each individual can make to give back to the world and, most importantly, do it sustainably. “The thing that inspires me to continue styling people all around the world in secondhand clothing items,” she says, “isn’t just that I love to hear feedback from my customers, it’s the fact that I have been able to give so many articles of clothing a new home, and things that probably would have ended up in landfills, could now potentially be someones favorite piece in their closet!” Lauren is not only a well equipped owner of her business, but a college student studying digital media and working towards her future. Motivated by her desire to create, she shares her other artistic interests, “I love all things art; painting, drawing, clay creations, just being able to have an idea and bring it to life with my two hands. Along with art, I love diy projects; any trendy diy's that you seen lately, I have probably attempted to create them over on my YouTube channel,” she shares, “Anything that has to do with being creative: interior design (decorating my room a million ways), digital media (editing YouTube & TikTok videos), dancing (I did it for four years); If I get to let my creative juices flow, I am all for it! Because of these millions of different interests, they have their own individual impact on how I dress, how I style my customers, and my aesthetic as a whole!”
Over time, we’ve all been able to learn that the public and the outside world is noisy, and a lot of confidence is lost as a whole, which Lauren is working day and night to build up for clients. Her mission to work for the greater good of the earth, and initiative to fuel her passion in parallel, is what makes her a successful creator, and, as she shares, she started young. “Ever since I was a little girl, I loved all things fashion; dressing in bright colored shoes while everyone else wore black and white, always had a purse full of random goodies that I never actually used, oh and never left the house without accessories!” Lauren has always loved fashion and creating the most exciting version of herself there is. “If you can picture a little diva,” she adds, “that was me as a kid!”
Above all, her work ethic keeps her grounded as an individual managing her education as well as her thrifting business. “The biggest thing that I have learned from styling people is that it is a lot of hard work, though I don’t mind it at all! It is a very long process that I undergo for each customer, and I wouldn’t trade the uniqueness of my brand for anything! Each detail is important, from the sizing that they provided for me, to their favorite color or accessory.” At the same time, Lauren wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, “It is so much fun to be able to style almost 200 people from all around the globe,” she says, “and make so many connections without ever even meeting them! And I have been able to have so much more freedom than ever before and explore all different fashion styles, most of that I have yet to even try!”
And to anyone else interested in what Lauren does, she gives them advice, “A huge chunk of your life is now dedicated to fashion, styling, keeping up to date on trends, knowing how to take someone's measurements and convert them if need be, encourage cute packaging,” and, most importantly, “over any of those things, it is a really fun experience so do it to enjoy it!”
At the end of the day, Lauren is the trifecta — confident, hard working, and cheerful — everything the future needs. And to be sending people out in the world, confident and letting their style show, letting them say what they want to be heard, is the most exquisite part of it all.
You can find Lauren on almost any socials @Freckledlaur and check out her website here!
Responses are edited for length and clarity.