Idayat Ibrahim is the one-woman team driving Vinclox vintage. For the social media & depop brand, Ibrahim is the founder, stylist and creative director.
Quaint Revolt: Tell us a little about yourself and background?
Vinclox: I will be 23 at the end of November, so a happy birthday to me. I was born in Nigeria and moved to America almost 19 years ago, and have been living in Brooklyn ever since. I thought I wanted to be an Anesthesiologist in my early years, then I changed from science to finance. After graduating with a Bachelors in Economics, in hopes to be a great Wealth Manager, I declined a Morgan Stanley offer to pursue my purpose of Creative Directing and Styling. After working in fast food and retail from my teens to 22, I realized there was no growth and it was time to take all of my experiences, put them together and start my own businesses.
QR: How did Vinclox come to fruition?
V: Vinclox came to fruition, when I turned what seemed to me as an addiction, into a business! I found myself always buying clothes and shoes to the point that there wouldn’t be space for any new items. I would collect pieces that were passed down from family, especially my mom and my dad, and I became a big thrifter in high school when people thought thrifting was “bummy”. I began buying from online vintage shops and realized instead of spending money buying new collections with no where to put them, I would just give others an opportunity to purchase those items, knowing the pieces will last for a long time.
QR: What does community mean to you?
V: Community to me means having an unlimited support system, a space where people like myself can express themselves freely, and a space where people share similar interests and goals. I grew up on the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and that’s what a community should reflect.
I believe the industry of vintage reselling speaks to the creation of a sense of community, in the way that it brings people from all walks of life together, and in most cases those individuals gather in similar events, parties and etc. For example, I realized that almost everyone who goes thrifting, attend artsy events; art gallery shows, open mics, live painting and even big events like Afro punk, Curlfest, and so on. When those individuals come together, they create a community where individuality, uniqueness, and difference are all celebrated so that no one feels out of place.
Vinclox is all about bringing people together and not just selling vintage or modern pieces. I want to collaborate with other young entrepreneurs and designers, and come together so we can all benefit. Even the clientele becomes family. Vinclox caters to a community filled with unique and talented individuals of different personalities and tastes in fashion, and still being able to blend together. Recently, we shot our first ad for Vinclox on 11.11 and it felt like a community gathering. Everyone that was a part of the shoot were creatives like myself and ended up connecting so they can stay in touch with each other for collabs and etcetera.
