Category: History

Sotheby’s “From the Vault: Property from the Grateful Dead and Friends” auction ended with some amazing results in the clothing category. Not only did two vintage Grateful Dead t-shirts combine for over 30k, but another shirt on their auction block brought in $21,420 USD. This relic was worn on stage by Pigpen, aka Ron McKernan who was a founding member of the Dead and was with the band until 1972. Factor in that it was worn during the Sand Storm Festival in 1970 – there are multiple layers of value due to some pretty unique provenance. Sotheby’s There’s been some ... Read more

1983-1995 Tennessee River Inc. was founded in the early 1980s in Florence, Alabama. Florence at the time was considered the ‘T-shirt Capital of the World” (5,000 textile workers in a two-block radius). Just a quick geography lesson for anyone outside the US or (like me) terrible at geography: The Tennessee River forms in Knoxville, TN before traveling through Alabama, Mississippi and finally ending at the Ohio River in Kentucky. In 1983 we see the 1st Tennessee River tag, these are rare and are found mostly on athletic wear. Vintage Brands Insider Sign-up Email*: Subscribe 1989 is when the brand introduces ... Read more

The first time I heard the term “single-stitch” was in the early aughts when vintage Levi’s Jeans were having their vintage money moment. Everyone wanted to get their hands on (and legs in) a pair of Big E jeans or and selvedge, redline, hidden rivets, and single-stitch were among the vintage jean-related keywords at the time. At some point in the LEVI’s timeline, double-stitch construction was introduced and single-stitch became a sought-after feature. Dealers would often turn the rear pocket inside out to examine the hem because it was one method used to evaluate a pair. Meanwhile, in 2005, in ... Read more

1981-1989 Ocean Atlantic Textile Screen-Printing Inc., RN 73995, known as OATS or Wild OATS, Was founded in 1981 by Jerry Klause in Ocean City, New Jersey. Klause got his start on the Atlantic City Boardwalk creating t-shirts mostly for local casinos. During this time it was rare to see an OATS tag on an OATS t-shirt but when present they were 50/50 poly-cotton. More often, Oats would use other blanks like Spring Ford, Ched, and Signal – but their shirts could be identified by their logo and date printed below the design. 1990-1999 Vintage Brands Insider Sign-up Email*: Subscribe 1990 ... Read more

The Men’s 1972 U.S Olympic Trials for track and field were held from June 29 to July 9 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Could this be the perfect opportunity for a sportswear company headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon to showcase their new wares? Nike was originally founded in 1964 as “Blue Ribbon Sports” by Bill Bowerman, a track-and-field coach at the University of Oregon, and his former student Phil Knight. The two showcased the newly launched Nike brand shoe at the trials in 1972, and this relic is the first-ever piece of Nike apparel described as such by Geoff Hollister, ... Read more