Showgoers were a diverse bunch, reflecting that vintage is wildly popular at the moment with a wide range of people, including Gen Z and Alpha boys.
Photo by Cole Frost
by amNY
by Logan Holland, amNY
Stumbling upon a Carhartt Detroit jacket is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. This year’s ThriftCon New York had a Carhartt Jacket for just about every color of the rainbow.
ThriftCon, New York, hosted in the Brooklyn Storehouse at the Navy Yard on Saturday, August 1, had over 150 vendors selling men’s and women’s clothing, vinyl, collectibles, and much more. In addition to thrifting, the event featured special musical performances by Petey Pablo, Lil’ Flip, and Nappy Roots, as well as a panel on career building in the creative space.
“My favorite thing about ThriftCon is finding unique pieces you can’t find anywhere else and being able to support the vendors,” Dray, a fashion designer from New York, said. “I actually found out about ThriftCon through Instagram, and felt like I had to come here.”
Photo by Cole Frost
Photo by Cole Frost
Photo by Cole Frost
The inside of the Storehouse resembled an upscale flea market with vendors and their designated clothing racks lining the walls, and people migrating from stand to stand. Some of the booths even became attraction points themselves. Get Some Greens decked out her area with lime-green rugs and tablecloths that looked like she stole them from the Grinch.
People came to the event from all across the United States, with one vendor, InsightfulFinds, even sharing that he drove all the way up from Florida.
As the event continued, guests brought duffel bags of their own with some congregating towards the bins, a section of giant blue buckets offering cheap clothing.
ThriftCon New York wasn’t limited to just vintage clothing, with Personal Fears selling handmade, stainless-steel jewelry. Additionally, Grant’s Vintage Shop sold Pokémon, rare magazine covers, action figures, and even a fresh-out-the-box 1969 Snoopy with an astronaut outfit.
Photo by Cole Frost
Photo by Cole Frost
Photo by Cole Frost
“We like to be a one-stop shop, so we have everything vintage from toys and collectibles,” Grant said. “We’re based in Orlando, Florida, so we find a lot of cool Disney stuff as well.”
The event’s Creator Corner featured upcycled fashion designer Alexander Zdroyevski, who had an array of Carhartt jackets that he upscaled with utilitarian and military textiles. The self-taught stylist described the process of making one of his favorite pieces he brought to ThriftCon.
“This Carhartt Jacket was made out of entirely military duffel bags, some of them dating back to the Second World War, and they have the original stencils on them,” Zdroyevski said. “Military and utilitarian workwear is the birthplace of a lot of fashion, so finding an item like a military bag to repurpose just makes sense to repurpose as it’s made out of a great material.”
In a world of fast fashion, ThriftCon New York shared a space for people from all around the country to get a taste of something vintage.
Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in amNY. Click here to see the original story.
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