Want a custom, thrifted wardrobe?
Then you may want to get in line for KG Lillian’s thrifted style box service.
The 29-year-old content creator has taken off on #ThriftTok, a popular segment of fashion-related videos on TikTok where people share rare finds and thrifting strategies, thanks to her “thrift with me” videos and coveted style boxes.
“My interest in thrifting was actually forced on me almost because it was what we were doing out of necessity in the beginning of my life,” says the Austin-based influencer. “As a kid, I wanted to shop where my peers were shopping, but my mom got me interested in thrifting and it was through her taking me into the [thrift] store and encouraging me to look that I kind of learned how to thrift efficiently.”
While Lillian started creating content for Instagram, it was after she began posting “thrift with me” videos on TikTok — a suggestion of her teenage stepdaughters — that she really took off. Now, she has more than 775,000 followers on the platform.
In addition to her thrifting content, Lillian brought her thrifted style box service to TikTok — and it blew up. Through the service, Lillian works with clients to curate boxes of thrifted clothing based on a person’s style and requests. While requests are currently closed due to high demand, she will be reopening submissions soon.
“Where I grew up in a small town in Missouri, the idea of having a stylist seemed so out of reach to me,” she says on why her style boxes became so popular on TikTok. “With the growing popularity of style boxes, it’s something that’s becoming more accessible. There’s a sense of luxury, in my opinion, behind a stylist and that experience and a sense of personalization that we don’t receive in a lot of services or products in today’s world.
“It’s that level of intentional selection that someone is choosing things just for you,” she says.
The process for curating the style boxes is thorough, and begins with a personality quiz that asks in-depth questions, from favorite colors and sensory issues with fabrics to personal interests. She also requests pictures of the clients and inspiration photos.
“It’s kind of silly, but it goes as far as like, ‘What do you love? What do you hate? How do you describe your interests?’” she explains. “I really want it to be like I get to know someone and their box is built around who they are. It’s not just about the clothes anymore, so it’s really a personal, intentional questionnaire for someone to fill out. My hope is that there’s enjoyment in that part of the process, too.”
Then she goes on what she describes as a “safari hunt” to her local thrift stores in the Austin area with the client’s photos and questionnaire to find their pieces. So far, Lillian has curated boxes that have four to six items, or eight to 10 items, including apparel as well as accessories and shoes if those items are requested by the client.
KG Lillian
Alan Shawgo
After clients receive the box, with their permission Lillian then creates a TikTok video about the contents where she talks about the client’s inspiration and requests and shows how the thrifted pieces fit into that vision. Lillian uses a conversational tone and funny anecdotes in her video’s voiceovers, which have helped her draw in her large following. One video, for instance, starts off with: “Want to see the style box that has me dressing like Ms. Frizzle [from ‘The Magic School Bus’]? All aboard the Magic School Bus b—hes! I built this for Kaylee and since she’s seen it, you get to as well. I really just imagined us hopping on the Magic School Bus and driving through each of these outfits, so buckle up!”
“It’s structured to be a surprise,” she says. “I know that’s not a traditional stylist’s approach, so maybe it’s in its own category in that way, but the idea is they give me all this information about themselves and I’m building almost like a gift from themselves to themselves, so that it almost feels like Christmas. It’s curated things they like, but it’s a surprise when they receive it.”
Lillian is in the process of restructuring the thrifted style box service to streamline the process and meet increasing demand. In the meantime, she’s still posting the style box reveals and her other thrifted fashion content, as well as sharing more personal videos and ones about her music career.
“It’s been really meaningful just because there’s a side of the style boxes that is less shared publicly, which is that for some clients, this is a part of their healing journey, a journey with their identity or celebrating a milestone,” she says. “I love how much of an impact that’s made on me as someone who’s sharing that with them, just because it’s really beautiful.”