Jump Into The Poole

A quilt turned into a matching sweatshirt and bag set. Photo courtesy of The Poole.

Since 2020 sustainable clothing designer Kristie Poole has held a solid spot at the Providence Flea Market, selling her upcycled designs through her pop-up business, The Poole. Her time at the flea market has allowed for The Poole to grow into something bigger, garnering regular clientele and profitable sales. Popping up every Sunday at the flea market has itched Poole’s constant desire to have a business.

“In 2013 I first got the idea of having what I called a mobile boutique,” says Poole. “I’ve always wanted a store, but I thought instead of that big investment, I should just look into markets.”

The Poole’s items are sourced and thrifted from secondhand spots like estate sales, Salvation Army and Facebook Marketplace. The items are then transformed into eye catching apparel. Sometimes the secondhand pieces are bleached, other times they are cut up and sewn together to create something entirely new. Poole studied fashion merchandizing at the Miami International University of Art and Design and learned the rest by watching upcycling tutorials on, what she calls, YouTube University. At The Poole, old quits and blankets can be transformed into jackets and duffle bags while scraps are always put to good use on future projects down the line.

“I have a room at home that is full of fabric scraps that I grab from constantly. Sometimes pieces take me 14 hours while others take 2 hours, it all depends on what the vision is,” says Poole.

The Poole designer Kristie Poole. Photo courtesy of The Poole.

What sets The Poole apart is Poole’s vision. The designer is able to look at a secondhand item and breathe new life into it through her reworking. Spending much of her adolescence outdoors, she has found some of her strongest design inspiration being influenced by nature. Poole sees her designs being worn by basketball players, musicians and people in the arts and entertainment world. The pieces are for those who want to express themselves through clothing, as even the everyday staple pieces give that wow factor. The popup business has helped Poole grow as a designer and learn about time management.

“I don’t have a boss with this, but the business feels like a boss, always telling me to do stuff and get it together,” Poole says with a laugh.

The designer hopes that her brand can keep growing larger and that her work will keep evolving. There isn’t a lot that’s guaranteed in this world, but The Poole being at the Providence Flea mostly every Sunday is one thing shoppers can almost always plan on.

“I feel like I’ve always had an eye for design and me continuing this is proving that,” says Poole. “Every Sunday I get to see customers faces when they buy a new item, and that means the world to me.”

Visit The Poole’s website here.

To see updates visit The Poole’s Instagram here.