Future vintage is booming; four brands not named Bode to support

Like Bode? Here are four other designers you should know about.

Sep 6

I like Bode.

They’ve fundamentally changed what “custom” or bespoke means. And culturally, they’ve capitalized on our need to flex our individuality. Everybody wants the 1-of-1.

We want our shit to tell a story.

Here’s what Jian DeLeon (Nordstrom’s Men’s Fashion Director) had them do recently…

Jian DeLeon @jiandeleon

About five months ago I had a fever dream about a Bode senior cord jacket inspired by Filipino snacks and now we got Boy Bawang and Jollibee on a PIECE.

And here’s a pair of shorts that my buddy Danny Owens had Bode create a while back…

danny.owens

A post shared by Danny Owens (@danny.owens)

The internet has paved the way for brands like Bode to thrive, and you find that what seemed like a niche market is actually fucking huge right now. People are doing top design work everywhere.

I’ve been keeping tabs on this space and wanted to share a four other equally-great designers who deserve more love!

1/ KPC

Run by Kelsey Peyton Crane, KPC is Atlanta-based and absolutely crushing it.

Kelsey studied fashion and has worked for other designers, now she’s doing her own thing. She focuses a lot on shirting, and the textiles and fabrics she gets access to are unbelievable.

2/ Rifatto

Rifatto may be one of the best designers on the planet. I’ve been following his journey for a while, and his work gets better and better. The word Rifatto is Italian, which means rebuild or “redone,” and my god Yuya Kobayashi can redo old fabrics.

This puts Needles’ stuff to shame honestly. You can’t compete like this.

3/ Small Talk

Another great designer to check out is Small Talk Vintage. Dude does incredible hand-drawn and hand-painted work. He’s slightly different from the others since he focuses on chore coats and pants. You can send your own garment to have him work with. Here’s a chore coat he designed for my good buddy (and fellow Sprezza homie), Leland, last year.