Think, for a second, about your grandpa’s leather jacket.
It’s well-worn, butter-soft, and astoundingly, still kicking 70 years later. But look a little closer, and it’s easy to see why.
The leather’s thick. The vegetable tanning has aged to a rich patina. Double- or even triple-stitched seams make it nearly indestructible. And the lining? Made of pure wool or satin.
All those years ago, your grandpa was unknowingly paying for the best a man could get. He didn’t know, because back then, quality was the norm. Today, same-day shipping and mall-window mannequins tell a very different story.
The modern fashion industry is built on speed, a never-ending cycle of trends designed to keep you buying. Clothing is intentionally made to be disposable, with so many cut corners it’s next to impossible to wear a piece for a year, much less a generation. But here’s the dirty truth: fast fashion isn’t just bad style. It’s an environmental and ethical nightmare.
Every second, an entire truckload of clothing is either burned or dumped into a landfill, and in the U.S. alone, 11.3 million tons of textile waste ends up there too, rotting for up to 200 years. Meanwhile, a single cotton t-shirt requires 2,700 liters of water to produce, the same amount one person needs to drink for two and a half years.
On top of that, today’s mass-produced clothes are designed to fall apart. The average American buys about 70 new pieces of clothing a year, spending nearly $1,700 annually. But most of those garments won’t last more than a season.
And the human cost? Even worse. Fast fashion relies on underpaid labor, with workers in countries like Bangladesh earning as little as $96 a month (despite needing 3.5 times that just to survive). Add in poor sweatshop conditions, forced labor, and child exploitation, and that $10 t-shirt adds up to a much higher price than you think.
So what’s the alternative? Investing in quality, sustainably-made clothing that will last a lifetime. One way to do that — shop vintage.
Whether it’s a well-crafted jacket, a pair of raw denim jeans, or a perfectly broken-in leather belt, choosing durable, secondhand goods ensures you’re not contributing to this throwaway culture. And when it comes to sustainability and craftsmanship, vintage is the standard. Those Levi’s from the ‘80s? Built to last. That leather bomber from the ‘70s? Still going strong. Compare that to today’s polyester-laden junk, and the choice is obvious.
Mitchell Palmer-Gage, owner of Brass Tacks Provisions, gets it. His shop recently introduced a vintage section, leaning into the slow fashion movement and proving that old is, in fact, gold.
“Obviously, older vintage styles hold up better because of how they were originally made.” Mitchell explains. “With denim specifically, the industry has come up with different ways of making it, but not necessarily for the better in terms of the garment. Now, it’s swung too far in the direction of creating new clothing rapidly.”
For Mitchell and his team, curating vintage is as much a craft as the goods on the shop's shelves. On top of on-trend with what people are wearing today, every vintage pick has to also align with Brass Tacks’ delicately curated aesthetic. And of course, they have to be truly vintage. Nothing after the year 2000 and absolutely no reproductions.
The authentication process is meticulous. Alongside assistant manager Alan Pelligrin, who spent time repurposing vintage clothing in Taos, New Mexico, Brass Tacks guarantees every vintage piece is the real deal.
“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” Mitchell says. “We spend extensive time checking labels.”
But sourcing isn’t as easy as hitting up the local thrift shop. The hardest part, Mitchell admits, is the price.
“Vintage is now so popular, and it’s generally driving prices up. I find people sell for higher than is justified for resale. Going out to dig for it is usually fruitless because it’s typically already picked over.”
Still, the mission remains the same: to provide customers with clothes that will stand the test of time at a fair price for the quality.
“We source new pieces for Brass Tacks that will wear well and last a long time. I like knowing these items we’re selling will last long enough to become the next generation of vintage.”
So, next time you’re tempted by a dirt-cheap haul, ask yourself: wouldn’t you rather own something worth passing down?
Shop hand-selected vintage picks, available now at Brass Tacks Provisions.
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