Bright & Stormy Kids: DIY Festival Vintage Vendors
Art and Fashion
It’s that time of the year again! The Utah State Fairpark opens its gates to the 18th Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival presented by Harmons. Being Utah’s largest local-centric arts, music, science and technology festival, DIY Fest is a three-day event. Experience the best of our state’s creative culture with over 500 local artists and makers, three stages for music and dance performances, a youth entrepreneur area, a STEM building with hands-on exhibitions, dozens of food vendors and more. Kids of all ages and dogs are welcome — find more info and get tickets at craftlakecity.com!
Combining a passion for sustainability, fashion and motherhood, Stephanie Hanks, owner of Bright & Stormy Kids, brings unique secondhand finds to parents. Hanks strives to “keep things moving,” which means upcycling a kid’s flannel with a trendy design or rescuing a pair of OshKosh B’gosh overalls from Goodwill.
Hanks attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, and was introduced to sewing by her grandmother, who was an avid quilter. Hanks eventually combined her interest in fashion and design with secondhand clothing when she started reselling her son’s clothing online.
As her sense of style grew popular, she shifted to sourcing materials from local thrift stores. There she found not only stylish but also high-quality brands from the 1980s and 1990s. Hanks says that those types of finds, “Triggered my passion for kids’ vintage.”
Her children are well-versed in knowing that if they need a new dress or shoes, their mom will thrift it for them. Even at their young age, Hanks’ children are aware of responsible consumption practices.
“Us millennials were raised on Captain Planet and were told that we have to recycle and reuse things. When I speak with parents around my age, we connect in this sustainable mindset of shopping secondhand,” Hanks shares. This is one of the things Hanks enjoys the most about markets – connecting with parents who have a passion for sustainability. —Porshai Nielsen
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