Life & Work with Emily Stochl

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Stochl. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m Emily Stochl, and I’m a writer and podcaster in the vintage and secondhand fashion industry. I’m the host and creator of Pre-Loved Podcast, which is a vintage fashion interview show. I’ve written about, and been quoted in pieces about, the vintage and secondhand fashion industry in publications like Vogue Business, Glamour, Atmos, HuffPost, and The Zoe Report. I also create content around vintage, thrifting, and sustainability on Instagram @emilymstochl. Additionally, I’m the Director of Community Engagement at a global fashion advocacy organization, Remake. 

My sustainability journey actually started with labor activism! I believe that social sustainability is just as important a part of this conversation. 

My grandma who was really involved in my upbringing was a labor activist, she worked in a plastic factory and was a part of lots of walkouts, strikes, etc. That worker solidarity has always been important to me, and I got into ethical and sustainable fashion via understanding fashion’s impact on garment workers. 

As I got deeper and deeper into this space, I realized that sustainability and “social sustainability” or “ethics” are completely intwined. 

I started Pre-Loved Podcast because I’m very passionate about conscious fashion, both for environmental and ethical reasons. There are some absolutely brilliant podcasts out there for these topics, and I’ll give nod to a few of these great resources throughout this chat. But the way I personally approach conscious fashion in my own life is through shopping second-hand. And I couldn’t find a podcast that was dedicated specifically to vintage and second-hand style, so I decided I would make the kind of show I was searching for! 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As with anyone’s story, my path to where I am today has been a winding road! Within the last few years, I’ve finally started to feel like things are settling into place and I’m doing the work that I am meant to be doing. But it has taken a long time to get here. I’ve been working on Pre-Loved Podcast since late 2018 — almost four years now! And it has only been about a year-and-a-half of that time that I’ve been able to do this work full-time, prior to that I needed other work (everything from a full-time office job to retail work!) to make this dream feasible. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve gotten here and can’t wait to see where it will go from here. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m known for my storytelling and reporting about the vintage and secondhand fashion industry. My vintage fashion interview show, Pre-Loved Podcast, was the first podcast dedicated entirely to vintage and secondhand fashion to hit the airwaves back in 2018. I have long loved vintage and thrifting, and I could picture a future for the fashion industry where vintage and secondhand fashion were given a platform on fashion’s mainstages. I think these days, in 2022, we’re actually starting to get there! 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Pre-Loved Podcast is going on tour this summer, and I’ll visiting Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, MI in August for some live shows and vintage markets! Come see a live recording of Pre-Loved Podcast take place at Kalamazoo Fashion House on Thursday, August 11th at 7 pm! 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilymstochl
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/prelovedpod