Natalie Mote: Manager at Worn Again Thrift

How did you end up working at Worn Again?

Moving to Bellingham really made me realize I didn’t want to follow trends. I wanted to find my trends, and when I first found Worn Again … I felt like I saw my entire future in that job interview. 

I knew that even though I was applying for just a little part-time register job, I was like, I have the passion to bring to this store … There is such a future here, and it’s not just for me — it’s for everyone in Bellingham that loves clothes.

Your style is very distinct — how would you describe it?

I would say eccentric. I would say colorful, but not always. Coordinated. I don’t know if that’s really an adjective, but something that I think about when I get ready every day is texture. 

I would say accessorizing, I have to put it in there because I think that is such a huge part of clothing. And style isn’t actually just the clothes, but it’s what you put with it, whether that’s tights or jewelry.

Tell me about the collection of shirts you brought to this interview.

All of these items are hand-painted, hand-created by an artist that I will never meet … Someone put dozens of hours into this piece, and it ended up getting tossed to the side and I’ll never know why.

Maybe they decided they hated it. Maybe they gifted it to an ex who didn’t want it anymore. Maybe they died and it was just passed along in life. That’s something that I love about this, is knowing that the artist out there doesn’t know that I have it, and doesn’t know that I love it so much — but I know that someone took their time to create this piece. And now I get the honor of wearing it.

Beyond fashion, your main creative outlet is ceramics. How do those two hobbies work together?

It does feel a little bit exciting to have one side of my artistic expression be something that will only last as long as I keep it on my body — and the second I take it off at the end of the day, it’s gone. And this other side of my life where I’m taking mud and I’m turning into something that will last thousands of years.

Do you see fashion as political?

Being at a thrift store and knowing that 100 percent of my items that I acquire are secondhand [is] something that I see it almost as like rescuing a dog … You don’t need to go buy the cute one that everybody has! You need to go find the one that speaks to you. 

So politically speaking, I think clothing is a lot about: How do you see the world? How do you want to be seen in the world? … Whether you’re wearing a brand that is owned by an abuser, or maybe you’re wearing a bunch of Amazon clothes … the way you dress can make a political statement. And I want to make the statement of: I want to be expressive. I want to be loud. I don’t care who looks at me. And also, all of it second hand!