Conversations with the Inspiring Tristan Bego

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tristan Bego.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Tristan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My love for clothes and dressing started with my older sisters sharing and allowing me to shop out of their closets and match my own outfits. My sisters blessed me with luxury hand-me-downs starting from Ed Hardy, True Religion all the way up to Micheal Kors in 2007. In school, I didn’t make the best grades but I was always known, “to dress”, or be the girl that can pull off a one of a kind look.

In high school, I received my “eye” for thrifting. My friends and I would meet up at the Goodwill’s for outfit inspirations, creating my love relationship with vintage and good denim. Adulting and thrifting go hand in hand for me, if I look good then I feel good is my thought process every time I get dressed. Once I moved out and accumulated bills I wasn’t able to shop and style myself with mall retailers but had to make sure I didn’t look like my struggles. So thrifting has taught me that if I am patient ENOUGH I can find my favorite name brands or better quality clothes – at a cheaper price. Its been history ever since. Once I moved to Aurora my craft only got better.

In 2017, I created February Jones, my business name for reselling. I hand drew my logo and kept it moving. February Jones and the Purple afro girl logo represents woman, culture, equality and originality. We started on resale apps such as Mercari and Depop and I recently transitioned onto Instagram. I have great support from my muse (Chelsea Drew) and my tribe from being my model for pictures, allowing me to be the stylist for video shoots, to setting up and vending at pop-ups together……has ALL lead up to this.

The future for February Jones is taking the direction of community support and using my platform to give back. Reselling will always be apart of thrifting however, I want to turn FJ into an organization that gives back to the Aurora community. Starting with students in middle/ high school to the homeless. I recently connected with Empower Community high school in Aurora and did a coat drive for the students. In addition, they allowed me to teach the students how to re-purpose old t-shirts to make reusable totes. That experience has changed my whole perspective on how I want to use my February Jones Platform. Reselling for profit is a bonus to my gift, not the purpose for my gift.

Mine and February Jones’s purpose is bigger in 2020. I love and appreciate the thrifting community and opportunities. However going forward, using my knowledge to create confidence in people by what they wear is something I want to figure out this year. If I can help a student feel confident and comfortable in their clothes and not have to worry about getting teased. Tristan/ FJ/STUDENT-1- Life/BULLY-0. I want to help take the pressure off struggling parents and be a resource, be another option instead of shopping in the malls for the same brands I thrift. If I can give a homeless or a less able person a long lastly pair of shoes or coat. Tristan-2 Life-0. Life hits you different when your purpose is different.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
What is life without tribulation. As a curator/re-seller/creator finding the balance and having patience is key. You’re either popping up at vending events, figuring out vendor fee’s, dealing with theft all the way down to customers haggling you for lower prices. My first ThriftCon was the best experience I ever had as a reseller. It was like this bodega feel and it just hummed with hustle. You learn to love a cohesive pop-up event. However, that became my expectation for every time I vended. I quickly learned that being a vendor is a gamble you don’t know how the event will turn out if you’ll even make your vendor fee back. I’ve made the mistake of underestimating an event and not bringing enough merchandise, and not making enough money. As a vendor, my biggest struggle is set up time. I am a woman that works out often but a bag of clothes can be the heaviest thing in the world sometimes. LOL. The best part about this community are the PEOPLE!!!!!!! Being a vendor and meeting people is so much fun, seeing people go crazy for your stuff, no matter if you thrifted it or re-purposed it is a great feeling. All these different businesses and they want to spend their money with you!

As a woman in the reselling community its key to be teachable yet able to be a teacher. Use each other as models/ help take pictures, customers who follow the thrifting community love to see different vendors working together. As a young lady wanting to start your journey, my first advice would be to just START. Clean out your closet and take some pictures of yourself and attempt to resell them on IG/ MERCARI/ DEPOP/ POSHMARK. Starting is the hardest part. Even if the journey isn’t reselling being confident in your process and understanding that your vision isn’t going to sound good to everyone you tell. And that is okay! For anyone interested in reselling somethings to keep in mind: Follow resellers on IG this can help by allowing you to see how everyone is grabbing customer’s attention, how to post to make a sale or just gain exposure. This is a great way to figure out what works for you. Make connections with other vendors to see if you can vend or pop up together to split the cost of vendor fees. Always make the customer feel great in your clothes (Talk them up and make them feel good), for pricing always allow wiggle room but stay firm. Lastly, do your research on name brands, tags, and fabrics (if they stretch, wrinkle or how to take care of item). Knowledge is KEY.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
February Jones strives to make everyone we cross paths with feel good about what they have on. Woman specifically want to feel confident when they switch up their style. I assist my female friends and other clients with styling work. I may have someone text me and request me find them a specific item or inquire to see if I have an item they on hand. I love styling because WE can create some awesome shit together! FJ as a reselling vendor I enjoy the opportunities to pop up and sell clothes and style my customers. Sometimes it just takes someone else’s eye to see what you don’t and encourage you to step out your comfort zone. I would like to transition into styling men and teenagers, I believe the collaboration would be genius and innovative. The future for FJ is empowering the Aurora community. My most proud moment was/is partnering with Empower Community HS. The coat drive was just the start, I will donate clothes to their counselor’s office for students who need access to it.

In February, February Jones and Empower *Fingers crossed*will honor one young lady at the HS with the appropriate grades a day of recognition. No solid details as of yet but IT WILL MANIFEST SOON! What sets February Jones apart, for one is our pricing when it comes to actually making sales. I’m not looking to hit customers over the head. I thrifted it, and the time spent looking for items was the best part for me. I can spend 3 hours plus in Goodwill and not think twice about it. I got it for a steal and I’m going to sell it to you for a DEAL. Second is my purpose I don’t do this for the money, that’s the BONUS. The connections, the community and conversations is what makes me keep my foot in the reselling world. Profits in this type of business can go up or down so just keep it fun. I would love to see it manifest into the first black-owned thrift store in Aurora, but I believe in waiting my turn. What is mine is already mine. Lastly, I haven’t met many people wanting to give away free clothes lol. The common re-seller wants profits. Turning the business into an organization and becoming a resource in the community. Yea, Nope not hearing that conversation too often or even seeing people give back in that way.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
The Future is Female. Period. However, the barriers for myself and female leadership are: 1. figuring out how to manage all the roles we play, 2. being more open to taken risk without a worry of judgment and 3. learning how to play and stay in the game. Even as a woman with no children, I am still wearing 2 to 3 different hats in a day. So I could only imagine the load on women that juggle being a mother, a lover, a worker, and a dreamer! As a woman, we are the glue to the family and we sometimes put our wants and needs on the back burner. So sometimes it’s hard to START and finish something when you’re being pulled in different directions. Doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. We all get better with time and it doesn’t matter when you start JUST START.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 7043026975
• Email: FEBRUARYJONESCO@GMAIL.COM
• Instagram: @FEBRUARYJONESCO

Image Credit:
1ST Pic: Me and Chelsea at a Pop Up; 2nd: Me modeling a custom piece I made; 3rd: Custom pair of February Jones Cut off shorts; 4th: Me at the Woman of the Future Pop up in COS as a vendor under FJ; 5TH : Me at an art show buying local art; 6th: FJ pop up at ThriftCon; 7th: Young ladies at the Empower High school- Remake Market where we turned re-purposed shirts into totes; 8th: Styling Zuleika the Singer Song writer for her music video Make my body Believe

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.