When friends Philip Lundström and Ludvig Oskarsson were on a joint trip to Toyo a few years ago, the idea of a concept store for vintage clothing was born. The result was Úma Vintage, which sells selected recycled garments from the 1990s. In February, Úma had the opportunity to visit L.A. through eXpression Umeå's internationalisation initiative in order to find new unique garments, gather experience and strengthen its network. Here is their report from the secondhand paradise.
- All of us were very nice, interested and open in sharing their experiences. experiences and knowledge. It is a very inspiring city to to be in and the interest is incredibly high in vintage, and it's in̊ good and bad, says Philip Lundström.
Demand and in the most popular and sought-after places, the price prices could go up to $1000, yes you read that right, for one garment. However, the contrasts could be huge. At Goodwill market, for example (the equivalent of the Red Cross in Sweden), visitors had to rummage through plastic boxes for bargains for only a few dollars a kilo, which Philip and Ludvig managed to do.
- It was very crowded but with a little luck and a lot of patience you could make real finds. Goodwill market is by the kilo, a t-shirt costs about 1 dollar. They put out new bins at intervals and people spend whole days here trying to find clothes to resell," says Ludvig Oskarsson.
Úma visited
L.A for about a week and a half and had time to visit some
reputable wine shops and markets - such as Round two, of many
considered by many to be the world's most well-curated vintage shop, Melrose flee market and smaller
markets such as Silverlake flee market. Of course, there was also a lot of
of strolling through shop-lined streets around Los Angeles, resulting in some
purchases and inspiration.
In addition, Úma booked a meeting with Earthling VIP (that was where the price of a t-shirt
could land on a crazy 1000 dollars).
- We had contacted them in advance and booked a meeting in their showroom. Earthling VIP is big in the Los Angeles vintage community and sells mostly t-shirts. We saw it as an opportunity to buy some unique pieces that we most likely won't find anywhere else, says Philip.
The purpose of the trip was to buy clothes to take home, make new contacts and learn more about vintage clothing - all of which checked out by far according to Úma Vintage, who were overall very pleased with the trip to LA.
- We feel we definitely want to go back. Now we know what to expect and where to focus. You have to be on top of your game if you want to get the most out of a visit to a city like Los Angeles, and the more visits you make, the easier it gets. It's just a shame it's on the other side of the world," concludes Ludvig.
