S10 Ep11 DENIM DUDES: Amy Leverton, denim trend forecaster – on silhouette and trend cycles, and how vintage markets are a leading indicator for forecasters.
Pre-Loved Podcast with Emily StochlShow Notes
Today we're chatting with Amy Leverton, an LA-based denim trend forecaster, and the author of Denim Dudes, and founder of the Denim Dudes consultancy that has become one of the most trusted voices in the global denim industry. Amy grew up in the West Country of England — but once a year, Glastonbury Festival arrived like a city descending on her doorstep, and that collision of music, personal style, and creative energy lit something in her early on. She made her way to London College of Fashion and then Kingston University, where a project on Levi's quietly revealed what she was actually built for . After working as a denim and casualwear designer, she landed at WGSN, the world's largest trend forecasting agency, in 2007. She spent years building out their denim department, traveling to Coachella and Tokyo to photograph street style, chasing cool kids through markets and down city blocks, and connecting the cultural dots that tell brands what's coming before it arrives. She eventually went independent, and Denim Dudes — which began as a street style book published in 2015 — has since grown into a full consultancy with all the major denim clients you can think of: Levi's, Wrangler, Gap, Guess, Old Navy – you name it. Denim Dudes publishes a seasonal forecast subscription sharing where denim — and the broader culture around it — is headed next. On today's episode, we get into all of it: how vintage styles inform her forecasting, why she thinks the entire fashion industry needs to be paying attention to what's happening in the vintage market, the state of silhouette in an anything-goes era, and the vintage pieces she can't stop thinking about! Let's dive right in! DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: [3:57] Amy grew up in the West Country of England — but once a year, Glastonbury Festival arrived like a city descending on her doorstep [8:38] She made her way to London College of Fashion and then Kingston University, working as a denim and casualwear designer. [11:11] How Amy developed a specialty in denim. [13:01] In 2007, she landed at WGSN, the world's largest trend forecasting agency, and spent years building out their denim department. [16:43] How a denim trend forecaster studies the trends and looks ahead at what's to come, while looking back at vintage. [22:00] Fashion is cyclical — Amy reflects on watching trends she lived through the first time come back around, and why a good trend forecaster can never be jaded about it. [23:10] How vintage markets are a leading indicator for trend forecasters [28:08] Vintage is becoming the biggest driver of the mainstream fashion industry. [32:01] On denim silhouettes and trend cycles, and the "anything goes" era of denim [41:53] Amy's vintage denim collection. EPISODE MENTIONS: Denim Dudes @denimdudes @denimdudes on TikTok WGSN Trend Forecasting Silver Lake Flea Levi's RED Please and Thank You Store Saleem Ghanchi The Bearded Beagle LET'S CONNECT: 📸Instagram: @emilymstochl 🐦Threads: @emilymstochl 🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl 📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/ 🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod SPECIAL THANKS: A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible! Patty Weber Kathy Brand Lisa of Queenie & Pearl Lydia Welp Michael A. Megan Morris Jennifer Alana Rivero Jerrica Yasumura Amanda Hale
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Today we're chatting with Bella Long, the vintage seller behind Valentine Vintage, who is also a fashion historian and archivist in the making, finishing her final year of grad school at NYU, where she's earning master's degrees in costume studies and library and information science. Bella grew up in Southern California, where she fell in love with old movies and the glamorous costumes in them. She started working at her local buy-sell-trade store when she was just 17, and started selling vintage in college, after learning the ropes interning for Sarah at Cameo Appearance Vintage. After college, Bella went full time with Valentine right as the vintage market really started to boom in Chicago. Along the way, she took a job in Columbia College Chicago's fashion study collection, which introduced her to the world of historical dress and archives, and that's what led her to go back to school to turn her love of fashion research into a career. She's now interning in museum and library collections, including an oral history project on postal workers' uniforms with the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum. We get into it all on today's episode: what a day in an archive actually looks like, and what makes a piece belong in a museum collection versus a vintage rack. Plus, what skills transfer from selling vintage to archival work, and what you have to unlearn (resisting the desire to try things on!). And of course, we hear about the vintage pieces she'll never part with, and all the best holy grail finds she's ever had as a seller and collector. Let's dive right in! DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: [03:34] Bella grew up drawing clothes and falling in love with old movie costumes [07:58] She got her first job at the buy-sell-trade shop at 17, and learned how trends drive buying [14:34] Starting to sell vintage in 2018 and interning with Sarah of Cameo Appearance Vintage [17:37] The Chicago vintage boom, and going full time with Valentine [21:09] How Valentine evolved, and how fashion history knowledge changed what she buys [28:26] Burning out after 34 markets in one year, and the decision to go to grad school [31:39] What a day in an archive actually looks like [38:59] What skills transfer from selling vintage to archives [42:38] What makes a piece belong in a collection vs. on a vintage rack [54:31] How museums acquire pieces, and why donations matter [56:49] The pieces she'll never part with and holy grail finds EPISODE MENTIONS: Valentine Vintage Cameo Appearance Vintage Columbia College Chicago Fashion Study Collection Dr. Lauren Downing Peters Smithsonian's National Postal Museum Cora Violet Walters Suburbia Circus
Today we're chatting with Beau of Reject Archive, a vintage dealer who runs the shop with his fiancé Adam, with a vintage collection that ranges from antique pieces through Y2K, but with a heavy focus on the 1920s through the 1940s, especially the 30s – their favorite! Beau has been designing clothes since he was a kid. He grew up in Oklahoma where he learned to thrift and sew from his mom, and later studied fashion design in Chicago, where he started making club looks out of vintage finds, including pieces that ended up on Drag Race. When the pandemic sent him back home to Oklahoma, he and Adam started collecting vintage with no clear plan – just a love for it! – and then in 2022 they launched Reject Archive. Beau and Adam both put themselves through sewing school so they could care for each found piece themselves, and Beau has even learned lace appliqué using true-to-era lace. Their goal is to bring to life these rare, romantic pieces, restored to good condition, so that can live in a wardrobe for years to come, and so they hunt for high-end materials, natural fibers, and handmade craftsmanship. We're getting into it all on today's episode: the Brimfield circuit, which they hit hard, hopping between Sturbridge, Dealers Choice, and Hertans while camping out of their Airstream. Also, their journey going live on Whatnot, including doing a show live from the fields of Brim! Plus, the realities of sourcing and pricing as vintage gets harder to find and more expensive, and the stories behind their most special finds. Let's dive right in! DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: [02:53] Beau's childhood love of drawing and designing [04:49] Learning to thrift from his mom [09:32] Studying fashion design in Chicago [12:18] The pandemic sends Beau back to Oklahoma, and he and Adam start collecting vintage [17:05] How a trip to St. Louis led to them taking the leap to move to New York [23:44] Developing their specialties, and the dealers who inspired them [30:25] Attending sewing school, restoring fragile antique pieces, and learning techniques like lace appliqué [33:48] Why 1920s-40s pieces are so desirable, and the realities of rising prices and scarcity [37:10] The Brimfield circuit [41:23] Why they started live selling, dollar starts, and the Whatnot community [54:15] Stories behind their most special finds. EPISODE MENTIONS: Reject Archive @rejectglamour Reject Archive on Whatnot Brimfield Antique Flea Market Retro 101 / Cherry Bomb Vintage Bad Granny's Eveliina Vintage Saint Paloma Vintage Ornate Vintage Lucent Vintage Ludlow Shop LET'S CONNECT: 📸Instagram: @emilymstochl 🐦Threads: @emilymstochl 🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl 📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/ 🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod SPECIAL THANKS: A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible! Patty Weber Kathy Brand Lisa of Queenie & Pearl Lydia Welp Michael A. Megan Morris Jennifer Alana Rivero Jerrica Yasumura Amanda Hale
Today we're chatting with Jackie of Jackie Rabbits, a true-vintage dealer whose path to reselling started early. Jackie was frequently thrifting with her mom as a kid, customizing denim and street wear as a teenager, and staging elaborate backyard photo shoots that stretched her creative muscles. She started reselling at sixteen years old, and landed an antique mall booth soon after. Six years ago she took the leap into full-time reselling – ego death and all! – and these days she has a packed weekly calendar of live shows on Whatnot. As she's built her vintage business, she's built a distinct point of view around handmade, richly detailed vintage while also becoming one of the earliest true-vintage sellers on Whatnot, pushing through stage fright to sell live nearly every week. We're getting into it all — her dumpster diving stories, honest advice on pricing and pacing, and pushing through the nerves of going live, plus all the other practical wisdom she's picked up along the way. Let's dive right in! DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: Jackie Rabbits Jackie's Whatnot shows [02:48] Jackie's early love of fashion included streetwear, customizing denim, and staging elaborate backyard photo shoots [04:11] Dropping out of high school, getting her GED, and how it shaped her path [06:22] Thrifting with her mom growing up, and how it became their bonding ritual [08:45] Landing her first antique mall booth as a teenager [11:07] The hustle to go full-time in vintage, selling on eBay and Depop during the early Y2K resale boom [13:42] Developing her true-vintage point of view [17:52] How the vintage scene and competition have changed since she started [19:16] Why she started livestreaming on Whatnot, and sees herself as a "fast flipper" in the vintage ecosystem [30:10] Keeping up with weekly sourcing demand [40:25] Her advice for anyone nervous to go live [45:04] Long-held pieces she'll never sell and best-ever finds LET'S CONNECT: 📸Instagram: @emilymstochl 🐦Threads: @emilymstochl 🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl 📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/ 🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod SPECIAL THANKS: A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible! Patty Weber Kathy Brand Lisa of Queenie & Pearl Lydia Welp Michael A. Megan Morris Jennifer Alana Rivero Jerrica Yasumura Amanda Hale
This week on Pre-Loved, we're launching something new: the The Debrief, a special podcast segment where we "debrief" what's happening in vintage — like when you're sitting down with your friends after a market to talk through everything you saw, bought, found and noticed. For our first Debrief, there was only one place to start: Brimfield Antique Market, the oldest and largest outdoor antique market in the country, held across six days, three times a year, in Brimfield, Massachusetts. Joining me is my longtime vintage market buddy Emily McKay, formerly the owner of Most Wanted Luxury Resale and most recently the processing and curation manager at Housing Works. This was Emily's first full trip to Brimfield proper, after tagging along for the pre-shows the year before — so we're covering what it's actually like to experience Brimfield for the first time, from the 4:30am field openings to what to pack, what to wear, and what we each came home with. We also chat about Emily's research from her master's at Parsons, focused on consumer behavior toward distressed secondhand clothing — and how that research shaped what she was hunting for on this trip to Brimfield. Whether you're dreaming about your first Brimfield or you just want in on show-and-tell, this one's for you! Let's Debrief! DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: [02:42] What Brimfield Antique Market is, and how to navigate it
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