Ghosts of Garments Past: Love for vintage & SCAD entrepreneurship
Fashion Vintage GIF By Dior And I. GIF Courtesy Of GIPHY.
Some say old, some say borrowed but it’s far from new. This genre of fashion is gradually asserting its dominance through the support of Gen Z and Millennials and has everyone digging through their grandparents’ closets. Yes, we are talking about the world of vintage fashion.
Who wore it first?
While it started as a response to textile shortages during World War I, vintage clothes didn’t acquire its highbrow status until the 20th and 21st century. In the United States, vintage clothes started gaining popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, as people began to embrace bohemian and hippie styles. In the 1980s, vintage clothing became even more popular, as people started to mix vintage pieces with contemporary clothing to create unique and individualistic looks. The most beautiful part of vintage is the definition behind it. The meaning is a dependent variable, relying on time to characterize what it is and eventually change again.
Swipe up on vintage
Today, vintage clothing is popular worldwide, with a growing focus on sustainable fashion and the desire for unique, one-of-a-kind pieces. The rise of online shopping has also made it easier for people to access vintage clothing from around the world. Now, more than ever, thrift and vintage stores (yes, there is a difference), dominate the attention of fashion consumers and guide trends for the younger generations.
In a world of mass media and overpopulated content, vintage clothing inspires individuality without the expense of the planet. By often being one-of-a-kind or rare pieces, unlike mass-produced clothing, vintage clothing is often handmade or features unique details and embellishments, which can help individuals express their personal style and preferences. By mixing and matching vintage and modern clothing, individuals can create outfits that reflect their personal tastes and sensibilities. This allows people to experiment with different styles and trends, and to create looks that are entirely their own. Vintage often has a rich history and can tell a story about the era in which it was made. By wearing vintage clothing, individuals can express their appreciation for the craftsmanship and design of the past, while also creating their own unique interpretation of the garment’s era. This can help individuals feel connected to the past, while also expressing their creativity.
Got Depop?
Vintage also has become a vessel of entrepreneurship in the fashion industry while vintage resale shops gain popularity. Depop, Poshmark even the Real Real are all platforms that profit from entrepreneurs, fashion connoisseurs, and even influencers where they resale garments, accessories and up-cycled designs. Since the pandemic, online resale has boomed in business, creating a modern shopping space for consumers. The Connector recently spoke with a friendly face from the fashion department who has ventured in the vintage resale realm with great success.
Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Resale
Timothy Underwood is a junior at the SCAD Atlanta campus, pursuing a major in fashion design. In his sophomore year of high school, he started venturing into local thrift stores in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Eventually, he realized his appreciation for “pre-loved” garments went a little too far and needed to start freeing up some closet space. This was the rosebud of his journey into vintage resale. After quickly realizing this could be more than just a “spring cleaning” and actually a profitable hustle, he took a leap into his calling. Once the pandemic hit, he leaned into this new found passion and thus the birth of Despise Gossip.
“Nobody is the same, nor should our clothes be…100% of products that are sold are picked from second hand stores and are hand altered. No factories. No mass production. Simply, unique, one of ones. All products will have their own unique distressing and character. We encourage our customers to add personal details to make them their very own.“
-Despise Gossip
Despise Gossip is a vintage resale shop that is predominantly online but also has scheduled studio appointments and makes appearances in local vintage markets. Despise Gossip houses a vast collection of unisex pieces that range from 60s to 90s garments. Some pieces are refined through alterations that make them one of a kind items that could diversify your collection. They also drop collections of up-cycled designs made by himself. His favorite creation being a plethora of belts that were painted and fabricated into an arrangement of color and texture. He aspires to expand his business to reach a wider audience of fashion collectors and tastemakers through his original upcycled designs and assortment of eclectic, vintage pieces.
Oh, Brother!
However, it isn’t just a one man band, it’s a family business. Underwood sources and creates while his older brother, Jackson Underwood handles finances and numbers. While one handles finances, the other alters and upcycles creations in their studio space. Underwood’s keen eye for trends and consistent entrepreneurship combined with his brother’s business mogul skills has earned Despise Gossip an in with the vintage community. While the brand is majority online sales, Underwood is also out on the ground doing vending for pop-ups in from North Carolina to Atlanta.
Balancing school and a business is not for the weak, yet Underwood triumphs in using his academics to advance his career, using the techniques of construction to directly apply to his creations for Despise Gossip. “It’s bigger than me now so I have to pace, and they clash at times but it’s about time management. You just have to figure out what to do on what days.” Through it all, he allows both academics and business to be a mutual relationship that feeds one another. This has resulted in an exponentially growing business of authentic garments and a suave, Americana identity for the brand.
“I have a sappy answer but the most valuable pieces I have come from, well I like to go into my grandparents attic. They like to keep their old clothes, thankfully. Anything I get from them, I never sell because of sentimental value. I just keep them but they’re the most valuable pieces.”
-Timothy Underwood
The meaning of vintage is ever-changing and a personal sentiment for this fashion student. Underwood’s nuance of fashion is “experiencing old to recreate the new” which he carries throughout his practice. Despise Gossip strives to be an accessible source of archival apparel and continues to embody the modern development of young entrepreneurship and shopping from the past to dress in the future.