According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in 2018 people in the United States threw away over 11.3 million tons of used textiles, which accounted for 66% of all textile production that year. Devin Bijeaux, owner of Voodoo Vintage market, is putting a tiny dent in that waste by encouraging upcycling and curating a space for clothing resales.
Bijeaux’s interest in the clothing industry started early. His parents were hip to the en vogue styles of the time, which greatly influenced his fashion sense. Bijeaux grew up enjoying classic graphic tees, sporting everything from the Coca Cola logo all the way to anime shows like Pokémon.
After making a connection with an existing vintage entrepreneur, Bijeaux got to learn the tools of the trade. The storytelling and almost archival element of vintage pieces especially piqued his interest.
“Finding out the history of why these things are worth this [much], who wore this back in the day and why it was popular — all those things kind of tying into one another is what really started my passion for vintage,” he says.
The Voodoo Vintage market itself arose as a byproduct of the pandemic. The outdoor element allowed people to commune in a safer environment while also bringing in customers to The Bulldog, which Bijeaux managed at the time. The event quickly caught on, and eventually he and the market outgrew the original location.
“The first one was overly small. We had 11 vendors in our side parking lot. And from that one, it doubled to 22,” he says “I want to say at our peak, we had 64 vendors over there.”
Bijeaux admits that the green implications of organizing a vintage market weren’t top of mind initially, but they still play an important role in his journey.
“As I got into vintage, I got really into sewing around the same time,” he says. “I know what it’s worth. I know that people want it, but no one’s going to wear it with this ginormous stain, or seven holes here. So I got really into the reworking process.”
The upcoming market is set to be one of his biggest to date. It’s tentatively slated for March 24 on the 400 and 300 blocks of Downtown Lafayette. If you’d like to grab one of his pieces before then, he has some for sale at The Edge Barbershop at 2039 Johnston Street or you can wait for his upcoming clothing drop at shopvoodoovintage.com.
Bijeaux says that he hopes the event not only continues to grow, but continues to benefit the Lafayette community: “It’s a good feeling, seeing those things go on because it’s not something that solely benefits me. It benefits everyone who participates, as well as all the businesses on the blocks that we get closed down.”