Kayla Gamble, Staff Writer
The Urban Gypsy Trunk Show may not be what you would think of upon first hearing of it. It does not take place in a theatre or convention center, but instead, all over the United States, its exact location varying in accordance to its coordinator and creator, Elle Erickson’s preference. It also doesn’t deal so much with entertainment show much as it does with fashion.
The Urban Gypsy Trunk Show, a traveling, pop-up thrift shop, graced Sulfur Studios from March 30 to April 2 with a mix of eclectic and vintage fashion, Tarot card readings and face painting.
The show travels the country, making stops anywhere coordinator and creater Elle Erickson chooses.
“It only took me five hours to set up,” Erickson said.
Erickson’s hard work paid off, as a stream of customers consistently poured in and out of the show.
Alongside Erickson, other vendors sold their wares including local illustrator Sarah Stevenson selling zines and stickers, and local jewelry maker Paige Samek selling jewelery. Stephanie Cherico, a fashion design major at SCAD, found it great that Erickson is promoting clothing sustainability, and loved that she could find vintage clothing at an affordable price.
Despite the whimsical setting and upbeat music, Erickson has a serious purpose in mind. According to Erickson, clothing isn’t her main passion, but that she wishes to help people.
“The clothes are just a way to get people here. Really I just enjoy connecting and inspiring and talking about things like helping people to quit smoking and eat better. That’s my passion,” she explained.
On top of offering what she calls “shitty advice,” Erickson also distributes pamphlets advising shoppers to check out documentaries on self love and happiness. She shares positive messages, offers enlightening books on everything from quitting smoking to “healing yourself” and tries to encourage people not to shop at big clothing stores like Forever 21 and H&M.
Her reason behind the latter is that these and other major clothing stores tend to use child workers to make their clothes which is exploitive and produces clothes that are not sustainable.
Erickson’s Urban Gypsy Trunk Show comes to Savannah every three months and offers a rotation of various local artists and vendors. For more information about Erickson, her Gypsy Trunk Show and other work, check out urbangypsytrunkshow.com.
