Rebel Wear Brings Alternative Fashion to The Dalles
Amanda Polehn is rocking, rolling, and ready to launch her second business in downtown The Dalles.
Amanda Polehn stands outside her new storefront located at 201 E 2nd St in The Dalles. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
By Cole Goodwin
A long time local of The Dalles, Amanda Polehn opened up her first storefront Starseed Curiosities & Gifts in April of 2022. And now, almost exactly a year later, she’s opening up her second business.
Amanda gets the shop ready for tomorrow’s grand opening. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Her new business, Rebel Wear, located at 201 E 2nd St, in The Dalles is a locally owned alternative fashion store for teens, elder emo’s, and alternative fashion lovers will host its grand opening April 20th, 2023 and will be open Thursday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For her, opening Starseed was about promoting spiritual healing, and Rebel Wear is all about providing healing to the community’s inner teenager, local access to alternative fashion, and a creative outlet for teens.
Much like her last business, the inspiration behind it came from her kids.
“My kids are at the age where they are looking for cool, fashionable clothing, and it’s been a need in this town so I thought, well if we don’t have it, I’ll just build it,” said Amanda.
“I think it’s so important to encourage the younger generation to be free in their creativity and in their outward expression. I think it’s really important that parents know that if kids aren’t given the opportunity to express themselves confidently, that comes back around eventually…whether it’s in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s or 50’s,” said Amanda “If you gives them freedom to express themselves in a healthy way it provides self esteem, confidence, autonomy and independence that they can carry with them into the future.”
Inside Rebel Wear with Amanda Polehn. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Amanda says the business has been a part of personal healing of her inner teenager as well.
“With Rebel Wear I have been able to buy clothes that my teenage self wanted to wear, but that I was never given the freedom to wear, or never felt cool enough to wear. And I’ve been able to create a space for the next generation and for elder emo’s to express themselves and their creativity, ” she said, “It’s fun to get to a space where I can play again and not feel trapped by fashion norms.”
As for the fashion you can find here, Amanda said as the mom of a teenager herself, it was important to her to curate alternative fashion that is “edgy without being disrespectful.”
Black and white checkerboard patterns, wide leg denim jeans, platform shoes, and t-shirts with skulls, and skeletons do the talking here.
Amanda says her favorite items in the shop are the hoodies. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
“Here you’re going to find clothes that are fashionable, but they’re not crude. They’re not too adult. So, it provides freedom for teens to express themselves within healthy boundaries,” she says.
She also wants the community to know she’s tried to choose timeless styles as a way to lessen the impact of fast fashion.
“I’m trying to be mindful of fast fashion’s impact on destroying the environment. It’s not super easy. But I think it’s one of the reasons I gravitate towards neutral colors and denims because they are always in season,” said Amanda.
She’s also been mindful to include plenty of unisex clothing items to create an inclusive and safe space for teens with diverse gender identities and gender expressions.
“I wanted to make a point to carry more unisex clothing and gender neutral clothing,” said Amanda.
One of the designs now available at Rebel Wear in downtown The Dalles.
She hopes that the community will come to see the space as a place to come together and express themselves and plans to host pop-up events for teens to come hang out and check out the space.
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