Who are you?

“My name is Alex and I’m based in Brooklyn, NY. @tagsandthreads, @craftedwithpride and once upon a time @brooklynvintageclub.”

How did you get into vintage?

“Vintage clothing came to be part of my life around 2006 when I was at college. As a budget-conscious student, I found the Salvation Army and Goodwill could supply a unique look at a fraction of the price of new clothes. At first, it was a superficial appreciation, all about buying crazy prints and styles to stand out in a crowd. After a few years of wearing vintage, I started to have a greater consideration for the origins and cultural value of clothing. If you really take the time to look at the fabric, the tags and other elements of a garment and it begins to read like a book. Every single one has a story to tell. I find myself much more interested in those stories and the people who make our garments than the style angle that initially attracted me to thrift shops.”

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Why vintage Champion?

“I find vintage Champion to be so interesting because it is has the rare combination of being accessible, high quality and culturally significant. As with most sports-obsessed kids, Champion NBA replica jerseys and heavyweight sweats were part of my 90s era childhood wardrobe. Before me, Champion was worn by millions of athletes, students and fashion-lovers going back to 1919. As I started to buy vintage more seriously in the early 2010s, I began to appreciate the functionality and durability of made in USA Champion garments. Not only were they well made, but they were produced in such high volume that they can still be found and purchased today at reasonable prices. Check out the history section in the first chapter of the book to get more on why Champion is one of the most important American fashion brands of all-time.”

Why a book?

“I found it frustrating as a vintage dealer that accurate historical information was impossible to find, even from the brands themselves. After working on various history projects for companies like Nike and New Balance, I was fortunate enough to be hired to research Champion’s history as part of the lead up to their 100th anniversary in 2019. While working on that research from 2017-18, I put all the earnings towards vintage Champion in hopes of creating a visual history of the brand in book form. That turned into It Takes A Little More: Selected Champion Products 1919-2002 which was the predecessor of Guide to Vintage Champion.”

What was the process like? 

“Sourcing items occurred from about 2016 right up until the first book was published in 2020. I traveled across the US and to Japan photographing as many items as I could from collectors and dealers. My goal was to track down at least one example of every style Champion manufactured in the 20th century but I quickly realized that was going to be impossible to squeeze into one book. I ended up buying over 1000 vintage Champion items and photographing about 500 more but page constraints would only allow about 800 to fit. There are more total items in It Takes A Little More, however, in the Guide to Vintage Champion, I think we struck a better balance between representing all of the important styles and providing supporting historical information. 

Here’s a throwback to 2015-2016 when I had tried to find as many colors of Reverse Weave crewnecks as possible. That was essentially the start of the project…”

Where did you draw inspiration from?

Inspiration for the book came from a number of different places. A few that come to mind are:

Gwarizm, an online blog by Gary Warnett that covers a multitude of topics ranging from music to vintage fashion.

Champion Mania, A Japanese blog/forum that provides information for Champion products ranging from the 1950s-1990s.

Snake America, A newsletter covering topics such as furniture, vintage, designer clothing and sports.

Lightning Magazine and other Japanese publications. Lightning magazines are essential resource books for vintage archivists. These Japanese books are incredibly in depth, and look great on your vintage coffee table.

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Peterson Nature Guides. Think fashion archival books, but for nature, plants and birds.

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What are your favorite books about vintage brands?

Ideas from Massimo Osti, featuring the growth of C.P. Company and Stone Island

Chasing Rainbows, a guide on collecting American Indian Trade and Camp Blankets

Denim Branded, which covers the details in denim like buttons, patches and rivets.

Skateboarding Is Not a Fashion, covers the history of skateboard apparel.

Rap Tees. you all know the rap tees book.

What’s Next?

“As of now there are no plans for another Champion book and both will remain limited print runs. Outside of Champion, there are a few projects in the pipeline covering other vintage brands as well as modern American manufacturers. I will always love Champion but my real passion is looking at smaller companies who haven’t gotten the same exposure. Keep an eye out on @craftedwithpride and @tagsandthreads for forthcoming info.”

You can purchase the Tags and Threads Guide to Vintage Champion here.

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Huge thank you to Alex for taking the time to speak with us! Make sure to follow all his social medias and keep up to date with his content. He’s doing great work for the vintage community!