Saturday, December 1, 2007

American Vintage

Thrift stores are treasure chests for shoppers who live for the thrill of finding hip, one-of-a-kind accessories and clothing at lower prices. Vintage has been on the rise for years and American Apparel, known for their hip signature basics, has taken notice and wants to be a part of the craze.

American Apparel, opened the country's first California Vintage on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, Calif., at the end of November. The secondhand shop filled with retro pieces, also includes all the stylized staples from American Apparel: t-shirts, leggings and socks. Now, shoppers can mix and match their then and now apparel in one trip.

Innovation sparked in American Apparel employees in the company's basement sample room, filled with vintage clothes housed to inspire designers. The items were thrift store worthy, but lacked in quantity. In order to create the secondhand shop the company hired girls to hand-pick hot men's and women's items from thrift stores. Now, the company purchases clothing and accessories from thrift retailers all over the world, in order to fill their stores, which first opened in Mexico and Germany.

To create the unique collections for sale, the buying team identifies trends and buys bulk amounts of fashionable recycled pieces in that style. With prices a hint higher than traditional secondhand stores, California Vintage houses anything 'in' from dresses, to old Levi's, leather jackets, sunglasses and much more. Pretty groovy.

-Hilary Shaffer

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