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photo by Kelly Petryszyn
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photo by Kelly Petryszyn
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photo by Kelly Petryszyn
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photo by Kelly Petryszyn
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photo by Kelly Petryszyn
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photo by Kelly Petryszyn
When Justine Gallo came across a woven Peace on Earth blanket — featuring a snowy holiday village, carolers and a sleigh — the Kent State University fashion design graduate envisioned it as a cozy pair of pants.
She cut the fabric up, sewing it to create blanket pants ($133). Trimmed with fringe on each side and cinched by a drawstring waist, blanket pants are available at her Sun in Leo boutique in Kent. Gallo’s artful, upcycled pieces draw in customers — one even wore a blanket dress to New York Fashion Week.
“I never know what I’m going to make until the fabric tells me,” says Gallo, the store’s owner and a New Jersey native.
After being selected as one of six design innovators for Teen Vogue’s Generation Next program in 2022, Gallo opened Sun in Leo in 2023, offering a mix of vintage pieces, artisan accessories and upcycled, one-of-a-kind designs. The shop operates off of a circular economy model, where clothes are repurposed instead of being thrown out.
“You’re responsible for where things go. It’s not just end of a life cycle for clothes anymore,” says Gallo. “It’s secondhand source, responsibly source, it’s donations and then it’s upcycling it, fixing it, repairing it, washing it, turning it into something else.”
Customers donate unwanted pieces to Gallo — who either upcycles them, gives them back to the community through free periodic clothing swaps or sends them to the Branded In Kent vintage apparel shop for recycling or donation to charity.
“The clothing swaps are so helpful in getting some stuff out,” Gallo says. “Even if I don’t have a purpose for it, it doesn’t mean somebody else doesn’t.”
Find graphic tees, vintage jeans and layered necklaces at her eclectic shop. For her upcycled collection, Gallo is working on “grandma-core” items — taking plain misses tops and styling them up with embroidered sayings, such as a maroon-and-pink-polka dot turtleneck that states, “Home is Where the Sewing Machine is” ($44). Check out a white skirt ($55), which Gallo has punched up with patches that are upcycled from a black shirt.
“I added stars to it to give it some more love and life,” she says.
Gallo thrifts jewelry and disassembles it into chains, charms and more to create new items. Recently, she added a watch face to complete a chunky necklace ($66). She also filled a locket ($33) with a black-and-white magazine clipping and added a black jeweled charm to craft a striking pendant.
“I’ll look up inspo, but I find that I create something entirely different based off the pieces I have,” she says.
Customers get free alterations and repairs for any clothing or jewelry item bought at Sun in Leo. Gallo asserts that you feel more confident when a piece fits well.
“Our brand here is inclusivity and demolishing the idea that one size fits all because that’s not true,” she says. “That’s why we do alterations.”
Gallo hopes that Sun in Leo’s fresh, unique designs inspire customers to find new styles that bring out their individuality.
“It’s a safe place to experiment,’” she says. “It’s a safe place to mix up your style, find new aesthetics.”
