Designer Showcase: Emily Bode, Bode NYC

Diane Helentjaris, Unsplash / Please note that images used in this Blog are not affiliated with Emily Bode or Bode, NYC in any way

This wouldn’t be a fashion blog (albeit an amateur, student run-one) if we didn’t showcase at least one extraordinary designer. And who more deserving than Emily Bode of Bode, NYC—one of my absolute favourite brands as of late. Bode—who put together her first runway show for Paris Fashion Week in June of 2019—started her brand on her own terms. She’s become known for crafting one-of-a-kind garments from the ground up using a variety of vintage textiles and fabrics. Whether she’s patching up new garments using those tired fabrics or creating entirely new pieces with them, she brings new life to both the textiles themselves, and the fashion industry. 

An instant inspiration and loved by many, Bode became the first female designer to show at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) in the men’s category—which came only three years after her brand's inauguration in 2016. The collection consisted of colour-blocked shirt/pants sets, corduroy work jackets with hand-drawn images, striped trousers, knit sweaters, a unique penny-lined transparent jacket, and much more. She describes Bode as follows: 

“Bode is a luxury menswear brand that expresses a sentimentality for the past through the study of personal narratives and historical techniques. Modern workwear silhouettes united with female-centric traditions of quilting, mending, and appliqué shape the collections. Each piece tells a story and is tailor-made.” bodenewyork.com

And Bode is certainly a luxury. With prices ranging anywhere from $86 (CAD) for a hand-crafted face mask to $2,000+ (CAD) for some of her hand-tailored, vintage quilt work jackets—it’s important to know why such a high price point is justified. 

The first and most obvious reason for Bode’s luxury price tags is the fabric itself. A vast majority of their pieces are crafted using actual vintage textiles, which are sourced and acquired from many different markets, attics, barns, and sweet grandmother’s across the globe. After the fabrics are acquired, they are cut, sewn, and tailored by hand in countries that have a rich heritage in garment fabrication. To boil it down, when you buy a piece from Bode, you’re buying a rare, hand made, high-quality garment that you most likely will not find anywhere else on the planet—unless you’re sourcing and sewing yourself!

You can find Bode’s one-of-a-kind pieces on their website (linked above). If you see something you like, you better scoop it up quick because they don’t sit for long. Rest assured, new unique pieces are added pretty regularly—so keep your eye out!

With a brand this young, the future can only look bright. I’m extremely excited about Bode’s future collections and to see how it evolves over time. Congratulations to Emily!

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Chad Hetherington

A fashion enthusiast and leisurely, self directed pupil of philosophy, Chad loves nothing more than love itself. In his free time, you’ll probably find him playing video games, spending time with his tight knit friends and family, or browsing for clothes.

What a Moth Eats: The Resurgence of Vintage Garments

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user: Mikoto.raw, Pexels

Within the last couple of years, fashion’s corner of the internet has seen a tremendous rise in the popularity of vintage fashion. Not just vintage-inspired looks, but the actual curation and sale of garments from as far back as the 40’s and 50’s, all the way through to the 1990s. The result of this growing interest in vintage apparel has contributed to a massive boom in vintage fashion resellers.

With so many of these retailers popping up, many specialize in specific garments, eras, brands, or cultures. In my time spent browsing many of these shops, and even buying some pieces for myself, it’s evident that a majority operate exclusively online—whether it be on their own website or through third party resale platforms like Depop, Grailed, or Etsy. In addition to these sites, you’ll find almost all of these outlets marketing and conducting business on Instagram as well. Scattered throughout the glut of shops are some that have garnered greater success, opening their own store-fronts or warehouses where vintage-inclined shoppers can examine the carefully curated wears in person.

While some curators have been successful in building a large customer base here in Canada (like Whitby, Ontario based shop Vintage 905), almost all the shops that I tend towards are based in the USA—specifically Los Angeles and Portland, OR. Both of these cities seem to have quite a large vintage fashion community of enthusiasts. Some of my favourites right now include Mothfood, Unsound Rags, and No Maintenance, all based in LA; and Hellmart and Suite Zero, based in Portland. All five of these shops sell things like: denim, graphic tees, trousers, hats, footwear, sweaters, etc. all ranging in era.

To develop a deeper understanding of the community and business of vintage fashion, I spoke with co-founder of LA-based vintage shop No Maintenance, Sebastian Moraga, to get their perspective:

When and how did you guys get started with No Maintenance?

No Maintenance began [as a] conversation back in March [2020] between the two of us (Sebastian and Roe). We had both been involved in the archival fashion market for the past two years. This brought us familiarity with e-commerce. We both had an interest in vintage clothing, we both wore it and had collected a few pieces, so it seemed like an easy start. But, No Maintenance didn’t really evolve into what it has become today until about July [of this year].

With the vintage fashion market booming in popularity over the past few years, how might you explain the continuous, rising demand for vintage garments? 

Like I mentioned before, we came from [a] background of designer goods, which was a very small niche that exploded. I believe the success of vintage clothing, to the point, that there are thousands of online shops, can be attributed to Instagram. [It’s] a combination of the right influencers and a rapidly changing menswear scene. Vintage has always been very popular. It has historically appealed to people in their 20’s and up. If you walked around San Francisco, New York, LA, etc. 5 years ago, the styles we see in vintage today are the same. In fact, I believe they are the same timeless looks that [trace] back to the 70’s when these garments were first being made. But, I believe when something catches [on] with the next generation, […] that’s when the trends explode in popularity. Pair that with [the] global phenomenon of social media, and you have kids all over the globe hungry for American vintage.

How much work goes into sourcing and acquiring garments for resale, and what does that work generally look like?

We work a ton. We have partnerships we have developed that help us with the workload. But generally speaking, work looks like this: source X amount of goods > wash/steam them > photograph/edit > measure > post on website > post on Instagram. That’s our workflow. There is a lot of work involved, but we can’t complain. It’s part of what we love.

How might you respond to criticism about inflating the price of garments that some people may argue can be found at thrift stores themselves?

Personally, I don’t feel that criticism necessarily concerns what we do. We want No Maintenance to be accessible and affordable. High prices are part of the game when you have a ton of demand. Thrifting can be quite difficult (especially during COVID-19). [Going] to a place and sorting through tons of used clothes to find one gem [is hard]. People are willing to pay a premium for the ease of having an item show up at their door. For me, it’s about finding the balance between accessibility and affordability while maintaining a certain standard. For example, we don’t do band tees too often, or many typical ‘vintage’ pieces you may see at upscale thrift stores. We try to shine a light on new styles, aesthetics, and general visual ideas.

What are some of your personal favourite eras or styles?

Personally, my interest in clothing and fashion goes beyond vintage. In terms of influence right now, it’s hard to ignore the 90’s. I think it’s just far enough away to feel distant, but an aesthetic that also fits into contemporary life. Some aspects of 80’s Japanese fashion appeal to me as well, and 70’s Americana. But generally speaking, it comes down to seasons (although LA is pretty warm year-round). I like to think we both incorporate elements of vintage Americana and vintage designer, and [when combined] they create their own distinct look.

October 28, 2020

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Chad Hetherington

A fashion enthusiast and leisurely, self directed pupil of philosophy, Chad loves nothing more than love itself. In his free time, you’ll probably find him playing video games, spending time with his tight knit friends and family, or browsing for clothes.