Meet Savanna Ferrera

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

Hi Savanna, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
My business’ foundation is completely rooted in the fact that it is earthly beneficial. For years, we have all been watching and contributing to the increase of pollution; single-use plastics, meat production, green-house gas emissions, oil spills/runoff, littering, & landfills. I’m talking specifically about discarded clothing. We know it. We’ve seen it. Fast fashion is killing the planet. Big companies produce thousands of new styles every single day- using non-recyclable material in every item. Typically, within less than a year those cheaply-made items of clothing find themselves in the landfill. It’s estimated that this equation leads to about 10% of the total current global carbon emissions. This is only going to increase the more clothing items that are made, then thrown out. My goal as a reseller is to minimize this as much as I can. I think that resellers often get a bad rap because technically we aren’t ‘making’ anything. I think people often feel as though we’re cheating because, well, anyone could do that, right!? We find it for cheap and sell it for more. However, it takes an educated person to know what’s vintage/niche-specific and what’s not- what will sell and what won’t. We ask for the prices we do for; our time, our energy, our knowledge, and our luck of location. I’d ask everyone to consider what it means for the planet to shop at the mall, to buy off cheap online websites, or to throw any of it away. We’re so good on clothes babe, we have enough! Shop used, shop up-cycled, shop local. Thrift! Save the earth, slow down pollution, end fast fashion companies.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I haven’t exactly decided on my true niche yet, admittedly. I started out wanting to write. As a kid and until this day I believe that the truth is inside of me somewhere. I think I’m still just searching for the right things to say. I haven’t given up on it, but I have focused a bit more on my other passions in the years since graduating high school. I started thrifting and reselling back in Minnesota. When I moved here, I had continued the passion for it relentlessly and in new ways. I left just the social media aspect of the business and found myself at pop-up markets/music festivals/lesbian spaghetti wrestling fights, and many more fun little events that I brought my racks full of clothes to- sold a good amount every time and always came out the other side with a new friend or associate. I love that community of people. Then I began to push myself further in the fashion world and now I I’ve been modeling on various runways here in a Colorado for the past couple years, and even had a moment this past September walking for NYFW. My next show (as I sit her and write this article) will be for Denver Fashion Week! I’m modeling for @glamitcolorado – another truly wonderful person in the fashion community here in Denver. Along the way I have learned that doing what you love- regardless of the money you make from it- will always be more fulfilling than settling for literally anything else. I love what I do, the people I meet, the clothes I get to wear, the clothes that someone else loves, the feeling of satisfaction. I will never give up trying to express myself in the ways I want to, the ways that make me feel good. I know realistically that it will take me years to accomplish “success” and I what I have learned is that I need to be willing to see it through. Nothing happens as soon as you want to. Everything needs to be earned, fought for, and believed in. One day I hope to include my poetry with my clothes somehow- haven’t figured it out quite yet but I’m on way by even typing it in existence as a thought. It’s hard work and sometimes I don’t even know where I’m trying to go. UP is all i can hope, all I can work for and I believe that what is meant to come out of this, will.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I always take all my friends out to Mercury Cafe, specifically on Fridays for open mic poetry night. Thats simply a must. Before their union strike (may they have the best results) I would be going there quite often to enjoy the whole atmosphere of the place. Jazz before poetry. The energy of it all is quite soulful. Then, I’d probably take my friends out to the mountains, of course. My favorite spots (close by) are in Morrison/Evergreen area. The cute little shops, the rivers, the food, the trails, the beauty. Always have to bring a camera- have a fun little photoshoot for the memories. Back to the city though- I am very fond of the art district off Santa Fe in Denver. My favorite place on the walk is tied between an antique shop on the corner with a parrot who greets you when you walk through the the door, or Petals & Pages- a versatile space open for writers and readers. They sell books, flower, and cafe snacks. They also have an open mic night every first Thursday of the month, In the back corner they set up a writer’s space with pens, paper, and bucket full of prompts if you’re searching for ideas. They’ve got rock shops, art galleries, thrift stores, and lots more of artsy places to go on the art walk. I would thoroughly recommend trying out all the places I’ve mentioned.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have my high school to thank. Perpich Center for the Arts Education. Located in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Perpich is a public school with a small population. Around 150 kids in total attended the school in the years that I went. I graduated in 2021. I was a part of the Creative Literature sector of the arts offered at the school. In total, 10 of us were in Lit. My teacher, Shannon Hannigan, paved the road for me. Not only did I get to practice my craft every day, but I was also taught the value of art at its core. Art is love, art is truth, art is growth, and art is the human experience. Art is caring about humanity. Art is persevering through the trials of the self. Art is compassion. Shannon helped me find my voice in the chaos of doubt. At Perpich, we wrote about things that mattered. We learned about the real things, the life things, the world things. I started my business in my senior year at Perpich. A few short months before Covid hit. In some ways, it gave me the opportunity to really work on it and probably even succeed as well as I did since everyone was at home relying on technology to keep us connected. I started just thrifting and reselling it. Took pictures in my living room when we were on lunch break. Then again, after the last google call of the day, back to the ‘studio’. Shannon felt like a second mother to me at the time. Still, I can think of her that way. I love her, I love the experience she gave me. Though I haven’t spoken in a couple years now. She’s on my mind and she’s in my heart and I may just have to go call her up right now. Truly, an extremely wonderful, patient, kind, understanding, and talented woman. Every day, I’m grateful for the opportunity to know her and to have been taught by her.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groovyvintagewear/

Image Credits
INSTAGRAM HANDLES @lizornphotography – orange dress @michaelhameister – black runway outfit @groovy.i – NYFW photos @borkj01 – red crochet runway