We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa & Janette Flores and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa & Janette, how do you think about risk?
Risk taking is all we’ve done in the process of our business. For one example, when it comes to booking flea markets we’re always looking for new experiences & with that comes new territory that we have yet to explore. It’s always risky when it comes to traveling far with the shop because it takes more investing, although that’s how we have made some of the best connections. When it comes to new cities & meeting new people, that’s ultimately rewarding in itself as our network of customers grow while reaching more communities. We also discover what other people feed into when it comes to fashion.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a duo I think our art skills are derived from each other as Yin & Yang. Vanessa studied Photography & graphic design while Janette went to the Fashion institute of design & merchandising for visual communications. There was definitely a stigma around thrifted garments, which wasn’t fully accepted so with that our career wasn’t something that was considered to be a “real career”. What we do is something that came from our heart & our roots. Our family in Mexico on my dads side designed, produced, distributed, & sold clothing at stores / tianguis (swapmeets) while our grandmother on my moms side would hustle by bringing second hand clothing from the US back to Sinaloa where she’d flip her money that way. All the challenges & sacrifices they made reflected on our business Vanjane.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Our heart lies in Los Angeles! But where do we begin?! I love playing LA guide & since it’s so broad here it’s hard to choose. I’d probably show my best friend LA by going on a bike ride along the River making our way to Frogtown, getting some brunch at a low key spot around there somewhere outdoors. I’d follow it up with a trip to Squaresville (vintage shop) to shop some goodies then end up at the Los Feliz theatre or Beverly cinemas theatre to unwind with a film. Love a good historic cinema location! On a different day I’d take a scenic coastal drive to Malibu or the palisades to picnic then hit the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale at night to dance the night away roller skating.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
For as long as we remember, being around secondhand clothing started before we could even walk or talk. My mother & grandmother have had a love for thrifting, yard sales, swapmeets, etc. We started experimenting with vintage styles in high school influenced by the thrift shops we’d go to afterschool then from then on made the creative decision to pursue a career that fueled our passion for fashion. Along with our family, being that we’re twins I like to think each of us influenced our evolution as well. A lot of our college years we knew we wanted to work in fashion but didn’t think the thrifting aspect was ever going to be a crucial part of our career up until Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso surfaced. It was such a relatable story that sort of mirrored our experiences shortly before reading it.

Website: vanjanela.co

Instagram: Vanjane.la

Other: Tik tok @vanjane.la

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.