The Thrift Dealer: Building Her Fashion Empire From High-End Vintage
Rewind to late Spring of 2019. I met Taylor, the owner of The Vintage Collectives at Suburb Pop’s first Art Pop gallery, an event that was nothing short of dope vintage finds, art walls and colorful photo ops. Taylor’s clothing racks were filled with vintage fashions dating back to the 80’s to the early 00’s. Each piece was intentional and distinctive—from sexy satin numbers, to bad-ass blazer sets to Baby Phat denim tops. I was instantly mesmerized. It’s like my inner fashionista had found its match.
“The treasure hunt of finding such unique pieces to wear and style brings so much joy to me,” Taylor tells me. She pays homage to Black trailblazers in fashion, like Dapper Dan, Karl Kani, and Daymond John. She notes the original blueprint of today’s current trends and aesthetics stemming from Black designers, Hip-Hop and RnB artists, along with street wear.
Taylor’s admiration for vintage clothing started when she was young. While girls in her high school were “primarily pressed” over brands like Hollister and Abercrombie, she ventured out from the logo-centered casual clothing stores that produced an army of graphic-tee wearing clones. “I played around with [different] styles, grandma clothes, and hairstyles. I experimented and figured out what worked for me, and what clothes brought out my joy and confidence when I wore them,” Taylor reminisces.
While Taylor’s style is very minimalist and centered on colors like “white, cream, olive, grey and black”, she focuses on getting inventory that is bright and expressive. She explains that since has customers with different tastes and vibes, she wants her “inventory to transcend all layers of fashion niches.” All of her pieces are 1/1. “The style of clothes may bear a resemblance, but our inventory is going to always vary, and be unique. I think that is what's so special about the thrift and vintage community as a whole,” she emphasizes.
She expresses that starting her brand has been a beautiful journey. Pre-covid, she often traveled to different cities to thrift new inventory. “I enjoy the duality of enriching my business and the pleasure of travel and exploration. Pop-up shops like Suburb Pop, curated by you and your sister really got the ball rolling on increasing exposure to my online store, and uplifting my confidence to network as a whole,” Taylor says. “It also fills my soul with joy to do something that I love and create supplemental income from it. At pop- up shops, I can see how hype a person gets over something that I personally selected, with the same emotion. It makes me so happy to see it.”
Thrift-shopping brings peace to Taylor. “I'll throw my AirPods on, listen to Soulection radio, and start my search for gold in a thrift store,” she explains her process. She has fallen in love with many pieces, but her favorite find as been a vintage Balmain wallet that she kept for herself.
Taylor’s goals for The Vintage Collectives are to own a brick and mortar based in Los Angeles or New York and to make her brand her primary source of income. She envisions having her pieces featured in a major magazine, gaining celebrity clientele.
Her tips for Women of Color starting their own business and brands is: to write everything down. “Sometimes our minds can run a mile per minute. Creating lists and organizing your ideas, not only minimizes stress and overwhelming emotions, but it outlines clear goals for yourself to gain more ground on your vision.” When in the discovery phase, Taylor says: “Research, research, research! On Beyonce's Internet there are so many resources, varying from how to set up a Shopify website, getting your LLC, and how to market more effectively. Another tip for LLC's is to get an EIN for wholesale vending, and establishing business credit to increase your options for Small Business loans Also, apply for grants to fund and jump-start your business with better resources. And most importantly, Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in America. We embody every ounce of the words: excellent, innovative, powerful, pioneering, and resilience. So take your seat at the table and thrive!”
