May 14, 2020

Thrift-shopping with Maya Karamat

Photos by Muskan Modi

The eighteen-year-old icon shares her dos and don'ts when it comes to thrifting.

Maya Karamat is an 18 year old Cancer whose love can be defined by the 4 fs: friends, family, fashion and food! I am the youngest of three kids and I am currently a second semester freshman in college.

I have always had a calling for anything that involves using my creativity.

How did you get into fashion?

My passion for fashion started at a very young age. As far back as I can remember I was stealing heels and lipstick from my moms closet to play dress up. Growing up my notebooks for school would be filled with designs and dress sketches. At the age of 9 I was set on going to FIT school for design.

You have amazing thrift store haul and Thrift flip videos on Tik Tok. How has Tik Tok influenced your creativity and love for fashion?

I originally downloaded the app as a joke, probably like most of you. But because my friends would constantly blow up my phone with TikToks, I finally decided to open the app. After realizing that TikTok was more than just comedy videos, I saw the potential to create content that I genuinely enjoyed. Maybe even start a few trends.

One day while in Goodwill shopping with my mom, I decided to whip out my iPhone and start recording some of the gems that I had found. Ever since, I’ve been hooked.

Give us one piece of advice for the novice thrift shoppers?

My biggest piece of advice for the novice thrift shopper would be to look through everything! Nothing good comes from staying in your comfort zone.

Stepping outside the box is essential for growth, not just in fashion but in life.

If you’re a girl, don't just browse through the women's section. You must look in the mens section and the kids section. Also, seeing potential in rough pieces is key! You must understand that before a diamond was a diamond it was a rock in the rough.

What does it mean to be young in America today?

Growing up in a Muslim household, my parents were more on the conservative side when it came to how I dressed. As I got older, my shorts slowly became longer and my shirts grew sleeves. It was always a fight for fashion because everything I wanted to wear wasn’t to their taste. However, knowing my passion for style, my parents have become more lenient over the years. That being said, I still get weird looks from elders in public when I wear shredded jeans.

Yes, Karen, I bought my jeans like this.