By Lauren Ofman, EIC
J Xu was 16 years old when he walked into a thrift store with a 10 dollar bill and left with a Thomas Pink button
Now, he is the founder and CEO of GW Thrift, an Instagram business in which he sells his
Xu prides himself on his diverse background. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, but has spent much of his life visiting China, where his parents were born. He said that his entrepreneurial spirit developed early on, since his father is an entrepreneur who has worked in various fields throughout his career.
When Xu was 10, he and his family moved to Mclean, Virginia, a suburb outside of Washington D.C. Despite the change of scenery, Xu had one passion that followed him across the country – basketball. Not only was he a skilled player, Xu claims that basketball sparked his interest in fashion, specifically shoes.
“Basketball introduced me to fashion because most retro basketball sneakers are from the 80’s and that’s what initially interested me in more vintage styles,” Xu said.
Even today, Xu sports a colorful vintage racing jacket with detailed embroidery that he
In high school, his passion for clothes drew him to the retail world where he worked for fast fashion brands like Pacsun. He was a self-proclaimed skater boy who shopped at brands that are notorious for catering to mainstream high school boys.
“Over time I began to realize that was not the style for me anymore,” Xu explained. “I started thrifting when I was in high school in 2015 and at the time, I only went because we didn’t have much going on in Northern Virginia, so my thing became thrifting.”
As a result of his change of heart, Xu pursued his first entrepreneurial venture of selling his shoes, which he ultimately made into a successful side hustle.
“At the time, I would be able to resell a pair of sneakers that would retail for $165.00 for close to $300.00 because the demand was there,” Xu said.
Xu’s personal ambition topped with his affinity for vintage styles helped him realize that his personal style strayed far away from the clothing being advertised in catalogues.
The discovery that unified Xu’s interests, though, was his father’s vintage camera collection. When he was a senior in high school, Xu stumbled across one of the cameras between two couch cushions and used it as an excuse to try out photography.
“Everything all came together: basketball, vintage fashion, and thrifting – it all came together through photography,” Xu said, “and I would say that became my identity.”
As a student who attended a preppy suburban high school, Xu said that many of his classmates questioned how a high school boy could be so into fashion, yet he also recalls the time a store employee offered to pay him for a pair of jeans he distressed himself.
Xu decided to start GW Thrift during his Information Systems class at GW as he scrolled through old photos of unique items he found at thrift stores. He was only a sophomore, yet he wondered what it would be like to have a platform of his own to showcase his unique style.
What began as a hobby is now a thriving business.
“I am happy with what I have accomplished but I am not content with it yet,” Xu said. “I do see a bigger potential in the D.C. area in general, but for now, I would like to keep sharing my sense of style with as many people as possible.”
If you haven’t followed @gwthrift on Instagram yet,
- 1. Where have you been!?
- 2. follow him to shop trendy vintage styles and to be notified for his next pop-up!
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