Midlands Woman Gets Global Attention for Fashion Savvy

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– “I take old, abused thrift store clothing and I turn it into something fabulous,” says Owens. Meet Jillian Owents, Creator of www.refashionista.net, her own personal blog about taking clothing someone else didn’t want and making it brand new. “I was looking for a sustainable way to wear something new everyday,” says Owens. She started the blog a couple of years ago after a friend gave her a sewing machine for Christmas. Now, Owens says it has taken on a world of it’s own by catching the attention of producers on the Rachel Ray Show and most recently Good Afternoon America, both seen here on ABC Columbia. But that’s not all, the blog has captured followers across the globe. Crandall Sims reporting,”Jillian‘s styles can also be found in local stores, like Revente‘s Last call, where they too turn old into new.” The store’s profits benefit ‘The Women’s Shelter’ in Columbia. “It‘s our heart, it‘s what we do,” says Patti Rosenfeld, manager of Revente’s Last Call. Rosenfeld says since opening two years ago, the store has donated $45,000 to the shelter. Jillian had a hand in that. “About a year ago she emailed us and told us about her project and asked if we could help,” says Rosenfeld. Her project was to make a new outfit every day of the year, all 365 of them. Rosenfeld was taken back by the transformations. “It‘s amazing some of the things that I see go out of here, I see them come back in, you know and I see people that are you know literally coming in and looking for it,” says Rosenfeld. Jillian says the project taught her about more than just clothes. “I learned a lot about life and about changing the things around me until there‘s something that I want in my life,” says Owens. Now, she’s full force ahead. “I have no idea what‘s going to happen next, but I‘m really excited about it,” says Owens.