In the modern era of fast fashion and ever-changing trends, clothing isn’t as well made as it used to be. It is a lot harder to find pieces that aren’t a long list of mixed materials – the same way it is with ingredients lists on packaged food today.
Jade McLain, the owner of Sparklie Bunny at 1385 South Wells Ave., says she is obsessed with vintage clothing and loves reworking items to give them a personal flair.
The pieces sold at her store range from vintage, to her hand-reworked vintage clothing, to basics and even a line of quality-sourced classics sporting the Sparklie Bunny logo.
Inspired by her grandmother and her mother, both fashion lovers, McLain has dedicated her career to sustainable fashion with quality as the top priority.
Sparklie Bunny is a conglomeration of her grandmother, her mother and herself. The bunny logo is inspired by her grandmother’s modeling history, which includes being the May 1976 cover Playmate of the Month. The hair comes from her mother’s hairdressing career, her role model of a woman owning and running a business. Sparkles are McLain’s own touch. She’s always been a tomboy, but a tomboy topped with glitter.
Starting with pop up sales and a commercial website, McLain found that her dream was to expand further to a more accessible space. Vintage shopping online is difficult, especially with modified and reworked pieces.
“The sizing is very different between brands,” McLain explained. “They don’t always have the correct sizing with everyone.”
The brick and mortar storefront opened in October of 2022. There is an ambience of eclectic vintage and homage to the fun nature of McLain’s business.
Antler chandeliers, sparkles, vintage pieces and her grandmother’s iconic Playboy magazine cover decorate the interior of the store.
Self expression is easiest done through fashion and appearance, that is part of why her brand means so much to McLain. She does it all herself, from logo design, to website building, to photography and vintage sourcing.
McLain tries to thrift wherever she can, finding spectacular vintage clothing pieces in the most unsuspecting places. Even if a piece isn’t a match made in heaven to herself- it could be somebody else’s.
Her online storefront showcases the pieces found in her store, with a touch of Sparklie Bunny personality as well.
There is a wide range of curated pieces to explore and try on at Sparklie Bunny, and McLain makes her store’s experience as accessible as possible.
“It’s important to know what you have on you,” McLain said. “Don’t you want to pass on something you wear one day?”
A chain of owners passing down clothing is a sustainable and eco-friendly option when it comes to finding the perfect clothing piece. Not only does it benefit the environment, but it raises the quality of clothing options too. Each piece is going to have a story.
The sentiment of finding joy in what you wear, enough to treasure it and pass that experience on is something that McLain’s business shares with the Reno community.
“Not a lot of people have the opportunity to wear whatever they want,” McLain concluded. “When you have the opportunity to do that you really take pride in how you look.”