Spring has sprung and summer is hot on its heels, and when I think summer I think t-shirts and when I think t-shirts nothing comes to mind quicker than those that are buttery soft and vintage-inspired, like those from our good buddies at Vintage Vantage. Choosing to do things right and develop their own t-shirt fabric from scratch, combining clever slogans and quirky graphics has made them a force to reckon with for close to eight years. We caught up with founder John to talk to him about their current setup and get a glimpse of what they are up to.
How long have you been keeping it fresh?
Since long before the beginning of time. Or at least since 1985, but vintage vantage has been around since the summer of 2001—almost eight years now, and somehow I’ve still got a huge crush on awesome t-shirts.
As well as your own designs, you have one of a kind vintage finds called the “top shelf.” Who is in charge of setting the pricing?
Depends who is doing the actual listing, and at this point we all have a pretty good idea what these things should be going for. The Top Shelf has actually undergone quite a transformation in the direction of affordability over the last few months. We cut all the prices in half, and new shirts are listed for much cheaper than they once were. We decided to be proactive about getting these awesome shirts to the people who want them, because a great vintage shirt that is worn and loved is better than a shirt in our vault any day.
What makes you more awesome than other vintage tee companies?
Our unbridled passion! No, seriously though, we love this shit. We know what it’s like to try on a new shirt and dance a little jig in front of the mirror, and we try our damnedest to channel that enthusiasm into everything we do.
What’s your motto for spring?
When life gives you lemons, buy something from vintagevantage.com.
Future plans?
Well, we’ve always got a lot of awesome new shirts coming out, lots in the next couple weeks. Also on the horizon are v-necks for men! And tank tops! And a retail storefront in San Francisco! And a bunch of other stuff we haven’t thought of yet!
As a bonus to CH readers, type “Coolhunting” into the discount box at checkout and enjoy a great tee for 20% less.
When a website defies both logic and easy description (e.g., Scanwiches), you know you’re in for a treat, and so it is with the “I Can Read Movies” Series by Mitch “Spacesick” Ansara. The growing collection of film-based book covers designed with a Saul Bass/Alvin Lustig flair imagines “novelizations of major pictures” such as Ernest Goes to Camp, Space Jam, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory—in Japanese (English subtitle: “Mr. Wonka! Just Punisher of Coddled Children”). Click on each cover for a bonus comment/film quote. In the case of Wonka, it’s “You’re going to love this…just love it,” which should be said with a maniacal Gene Wilder gleam in one’s eye.
