The Mariela Ferreira Interview
By Nick Caceres
Published: 03/04/2024
The ethical and highly customizable allure of thrifted fashion has been a growing influence for people looking for a sense of visual uniqueness, something that Mariela Ferreira understands very well in her own life. Ferreira has lived in the Charlotte area since around 2022 in which her brand, Será Antigua Vintage, has already left an imprint on the local fashion scene. Also, with being a co-owner of Noughties Market CLT, Ferreira’s influence has expanded within the past year.
Proceeding from being stripped of a stable income from a job layoff at a deli away from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, thrifted fashion would find Ferreira at a time of financial struggle. She would begin selling thrifted pieces through Depop and Instagram, slowly gaining traction. Eventually she would befriend a few fellow vendors and form a unique market under the name “Noughties Market CLT” bringing in droves of vendors from across the State and beyond to sell their best pieces at curated events in the Charlotte area.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Ferreira on Jan. 26 where we discussed how and why she stepped into the world of thrifting, her contributions to the Charlotte area and the innovating landscape of this aesthetic wave at a local level.
Photo of Mariela Ferreira
Photo Courtesy of Noughties Market CLT
Nick: So before we kick off this interview, who are you?
Mariela: I'm Mariela Ferreira and I'm the owner of Será Antigua Vintage and I'm one of the co-founders of Noughties Market CLT here in Charlotte.
Nick: Where did you originally grow up and where did you go to school?
Mariela: I was born in New York and lived there for a few years. Then my family moved to Orlando, Florida. I got most of my school done in Florida. That's where I went to high school and all that. After high school, I moved to North Carolina.
Nick: Did you move to North Carolina for college?
Mariela: A little bit of both. I had moved there with my best friend since her dad got a job transfer to Raleigh. We were trying to go to the same schools together and wanted to get out of Florida. So I was like “yeah sure” and we ended up in Raleigh.
Nick: From that point to when you started your brand, what led to you having the aspiration to launch Será Antigua Vintage and start selling curated pieces? When did you start?
Mariela: So I've always been into fashion and I was always kind of selling my clothes growing up. I think I started at 14, using Depop mostly and Ebay. So I was always doing something like that. I didn't begin Sera Antigua until COVID. I was working at a deli until they went out of business and I was laid off. I was just cleaning out my closet and trying to get rid of stuff. So I started to sell my clothes on Depop, like stuff that I wasn't wearing anymore and that went really well. So then, since I didn't have a job, I was putting all of my time into that. Then I started thrifting when I didn't have any more clothes to get rid of from my own closet. I started thrifting pieces that I saw were grabbing people's attention since those were the ones that were getting sold the fastest. So I just started thrifting full-time and reselling it on Depop and I think after a year or so, I then created the brand itself, Será Antigua. Then I just started to take it more seriously.
Nick: Why did you decide to go with the name?
Mariela: I wanted something in Spanish for sure because that's my heritage and culture. I wanted something that could have a piece of me as well in it. Será Antigua is Spanish for “must be vintage.” I thought that was a perfect fit for me.
Será Antigua Vintage official logo
Photo Courtesy of Mariela Ferreira
Nick: Where did you first originally sell from and how has that evolved over time?
Mariela: I started off on Depop and was posting photos on my story or on my personal Instagram account. I think before I did Depop, the people that followed me on Instagram, like friends and family, were like “oh this is cool, I want this.” So that was kind of where it first started. I had always had my Depop account since I was really young, so I just started using it again once that was going really well, like on my Instagram story. Then when I wasn't doing story items anymore, I just had everyone go to Depop if they wanted to shop. Then after that I got my Instagram and my website.
Nick: I know that back in 2021, I saw on one of your stories on your Será Antigua account that someone made a TikTok video unboxing a package they received from you and showed what they purchased. Who was that and what was your reaction to someone doing promo for your brand like that?
Mariela: Yeah, so that was Sarah Mtimet. She was and still is a very popular Instagram figure who does fashion videos. I had reached out to her on Instagram and was like, “hey, I have this clothing store that I just started. I'd love to send you a style bundle.” She answered and was like “I'm so down” then sent me her address and sizes. I made a style bundle for her and that was probably one of the first times that I've marketed my business like that and had someone help out with growing my brand. So that was really fun to do, having someone unbox my clothes and show how she felt seeing the clothes and all that. I love doing style bundles for people.
Nick: I wanted to ask about that. How do you approach picking pieces for someone else? How is that communicated successfully when it comes to those style bundles?
Mariela: I usually take time to analyze their personal style. I'll usually go through their Instagram and just see what they're wearing, what their favorite colors are, and if there are specific patterns that they seem to like. I’ll also take a look at people's Pinterest boards. Just anything like that. Just analyze how the person dresses and stuff before I start picking things for them.
Nick: So by the time that person posted that TikTok how old was your business?
Mariela: I think it had been around two years when she posted that.
Nick: What were some struggles or dilemmas you had early on when starting Sera Antigua if you would feel comfortable sharing?
Mariela: I think just relying on it as a full-time position was scary because I always had a job at the moment and then once COVID hit it was a whole 360 changed for me. I had to find a way to make a means for myself. So I guess the biggest struggle was just having enough confidence and faith in what I was selling and just realizing that there is a market out there for so many different styles. You could sell pretty much anything if you're confident enough, showing it correctly and putting in the time. Also being a reseller is very time consuming. You're constantly photographing your clothes, shopping, marketing and trying to do things with other companies and other people and just trying to grow your brand. The hardest part is staying consistent.
Nick: When did you first meet Ella Vernile and Isabella Hogan? How did that connection come to be?
Mariela: It's a crazy story. I met them at different times. I'd just moved to Charlotte and I think one of my friends were like “let's go to Noda. I think you'll like it. They have vintage sellers outside!” So we went and Isabella Hogan was doing a little pop-up there. I just went up to her and started talking to her. I was like “hey like this is so cool.” So I was doing pop ups in Raleigh before I moved to Charlotte so I was trying to figure out what that scene was like here. She was like, “you can just come out here every weekend. You don't have to pay anything. This is just open to the public.” So then I started popping up I think the next week. I was out there with her together and then shortly after Ella Vernile was doing her first pop up. This was maybe like a month after I had met Bella. My friend was like “oh let's introduce you to her.” So I talked to her and we hit it off and I was like “oh my god, you would love Bella, we should all like come out next weekend and do a pop up, all three of us together.” We just started doing that every weekend together. We each had our own store and inventory. So it was really easy to just go out there and have people to talk with and people who are like minded as well. So I think that's why our bond grew so quickly because we're interested in the same type of things and our styles are a little bit similar but unique in their own ways.
Photo of Isabella Hogan (left), Ella Vernile (middle) and Mariela Ferreira (right)
Image Courtesy of Noughties Market CLT
Nick: What eventually surfaced from this like trio you guys formed? When and how did that come to be?
Mariela: So yeah, we met and then we started doing pop-ups together all the time. We started signing up for markets that were actual events, not just selling out in Noda. We wanted to eventually have our own market but didn't know how we were going to do it by ourselves. So it was great to have just met each other at the most perfect timing because we were already thinking about it individually. We were like “wow, if we just did it all three of us together, it would be a lot easier.” We also felt that there wasn't very much representation for the women vendors and a lot of the markets that we were doing would always put us in the back. People weren't really interested in what we were selling because the markets we would do weren't really highlighting us as vendors. It was really hard for us to make sales as well at these events, but we knew that Charlotte had a population for this because we were selling really well, but we would go into a regular market and we weren't doing that good. We just sat down together one day and were like “Let's start brainstorming a name and how we were going to do this.” Noughties came from a word that was used in the early 2000s to just define that era of time. We were Looking at different synonyms, words and stuff that were popular in the 2000s. Then we just found noughties and we're like “that's perfect!”
Advertisement used for the Noughties Market CLT Instagram for their first market on Dec. 11, 2022
Image Courtesy of Noughties Marklet CLT
Nick: How many events have you guys hosted so far in the Charlotte area? How are these events compared to the debut?
Mariela: We've done nine events so far and the growth is crazy every time you do a market. We see the same faces we did from the very first market and then we see brand new people come. It's really fun and exciting just seeing how it grows and the different things that we do. Seeing people, you know, dress up for a certain theme because it's different every time. All of that is just really fun.
Nick: How do you feel about the reception? Like the reception of the vendors that sell through you guys and the people that come and shop.
Mariela: That's probably one of my favorite things. Just meeting the people that come to our markets. It's those individuals that we wanted to bring to our markets instead of staying home. So it's always really inspiring when we do see people enjoying themselves, feel comfortable and are excited to come because we made this space for people to come and have a good time, whereas they didn't have that before. It's something that people are looking forward to now.
Photo of the Noughties Market CLT at Petty Thieves Brewery in Charlotte, NC on Aug. 27, 2023
Photo Courtesy of Nick Caceres
Shoppers at Naughties Market CLT at Petty Thieves Brewery in Charlotte NC on Aug. 27, 2023
Photo Courtesy of Nick Caceres
Haley Mot selling both clothing and tarot card readings at Noughties Market CLT
Photo Courtesy of Nick Caceres
Alfie's Archive selling curated vintage pieces at Noughties Market CLT
Photo Courtesy of Nick Caceres
Beermony selling curated vintage pieces at Noughties Market CLT
Photo Courtesy of Nick Caceres
Nick: Circling back to Será Antigua. In your personal opinion, what's the ongoing appeal with the 90s and Y2K style?
Mariela: Yeah, I mean, fashion is literally all recycled. I feel like all of the styles are constantly always coming back. Like the styles of 2014 are coming back now that it's 10 years later but honestly I feel like the 90s style has always been one to stay and I'm not sure why. I think it's because of all the amazing television shows that were going on during the time that are just really iconic still to this day, like Friends and Sex In the City. They’re just timeless and the fashion that was in those shows is also very timeless. They're just styles that are going to last forever. It's just always going to be popular.
Nick: How do you curate your own wardrobe?
Mariela: Honestly, all of my clothes that I get are usually from a market or at Noughie's itself because we curate those vendors and know what we're going to get. My personal style is very much like my store I guess. It’s very 90s shic, street wear, just a mix of a bunch of different things which is kind of like my store. I feel like I don't have one specific niche. I just carry a specific era of time and there's multiple different types of pieces that you'll find within my store.
Nick: What was the best piece you found while thrifting?
Mariela: My favorite is probably this. I found a Rocawear jumpsuit. It was a two-piece; a jacket with an embroidery and bedazzles. The back had this really cool artwork on it and had matching pants. It was kind of like a loungewear set but yeah, that was probably one of my favorites. Rocawear is one of my favorite brands to find and also Baby Phat. Whenever I find anything like that, it's always amazing.
The top of a vintage Rocawear jacket that Mariela Ferreira owns which is one of her favorite pieces in her personal wardrobe.
Photo Courtesy of Mariela Ferreira
Nick: I know that you recently graduated from UNC Charlotte in December. What were you studying and does it tie into your business in some way?
Mariela: I was majoring in mass media communications and had a minor in sociology. I would say that a lot of the things I learned throughout college was all really beneficial to starting my career. Mass media communications taught me a lot about digital marketing as well as communicating with people virtually and that's exactly what we're doing. Our platforms are online and we need to make sure that we're reaching the right audience, how we're saying things and how we are getting things across. I think it's very beneficial.
Nick: How did you find the time for both your business and academics?
Mariela: Oh…I literally don't even know. I honestly always had a very strict school schedule but I've always tried to have Tuesday and Thursday classes. So I really got lucky my entire career at UNC Charlotte. My other three days of the week were mixed up with doing my business stuff, homework and other work.
Nick: Where are you planning to take your degree?
Mariela: I want to use my degree to continue to do more stuff with the client experience role. I do hope to work for a company where I can work with customers, communicate and help people, which is kind of what I've already been doing within my businesses, just at a different level.
Graduation photo of Mariela Ferreira
Photo Courtesy of Mariela Ferreira
Nick: Finally, where can the people find you?
Mariela: You can find me on Instagram. My store is at Será Antigua Vintage and my personal account is at Brvis. You can also find me on the Noughties Market CLT Instagram and at the Noughties Market Sales Team.