S9 Ep9 DISTRESSED FEST: co-founders and dealers of distressed vintage, Abe and Connor - on distressed vintage as wearable folk art with visible history, and why these pieces are coveted.
Pre-Loved Podcast with Emily Stochl
Release Date: 03/24/2025
Pre-Loved Podcast with Emily Stochl
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On today's show, we're chatting with Julia O'Mara, the co-founder of Pickle, the peer-to-peer fashion rental marketplace. Pickle's goal is making it easier and more affordable to rent high-quality clothing within communities – on today's episode, Julia will tell you about how she was working in business and product engineering when she had this idea: a gap in the fashion market. And it led her to build Pickle, a first-of-its kind platform, which – in less than a year – has boomed onto the scene, recirculating 100,000 items, top lenders paying their NYC rent with their Pickle earnings!...
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This episode is brought to you by Classic Coco, thank you for making Pre-Loved Podcast possible! This is the space where we talk about all things vintage, secondhand and pre-loved across the fashion space! And for new listeners, or longtime pals, to follow along with all things thrift, vintage, rad, retro, and sustainable, you can find me Emily Stochl, across the internet as @emilymstochl. Come hang out I’d love to chat with you! On today’s show, we’re chatting with Monique of LA Retro Girl! You might know her from being a regular vintage dealer at Pickwick...
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This episode is brought to you by Classic Coco, thank you for making Pre-Loved Podcast possible! This is the space where we talk about all things vintage, secondhand and pre-loved across the fashion space! And for new listeners, or longtime pals, to follow along with all things thrift, vintage, rad, retro, and sustainable, you can find me Emily Stochl, across the internet as @emilymstochl. Come hang out I’d love to chat with you! On today’s show, we’re chatting with Lale Boz, the founder of Normal NYC and the Not-A-Normal Show – which, if you’re listening to this...
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info_outlinePre-Loved Podcast with Emily Stochl
This is the space where we talk about all things vintage, secondhand a0nd pre-loved across the fashion space! And for new listeners, or longtime pals, to follow along with all things thrift, vintage, rad, retro, and sustainable, you can find me Emily Stochl, across the internet as @emilymstochl. Come hang out I’d love to chat with you! On today’s show, we’re chatting with Meg Barnes, the founder of Eclectic Inventory. Meg is a New York-based interior designer turned vintage dealer, who started an Etsy shop in 2012. Her side-hustle has grown and evolved – Eclectic Inventory...
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On today’s show, we’re chatting with Haile Lidow, the founder of Lidow Archive, which is a clothing rental fantasyland of over 9,000 pieces of vintage & contemporary designer clothing and accessories that Haile has collected over the course of 15-years — it now occupies an entire wing of her Los Angeles home/studio. Her pieces have been worn by Chappel Roan, Lady Gaga, and Madonna and that’s because Haile loves the vibrant, the stand-out, the statement making….. And we haven’t even talked about the shoe closet yet, which contains 24 pairs of Marc Jacobs boots, including 9 pairs...
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On today’s show, we’re chatting with Amanda Marcuson, the founder of BAG CRAP. Bag Crap is a vintage bag charm brand built on nostalgi and individuality Amanda is a longtime vintage collector, with a love of treasure hunting that grew over the years as she spent countless weekends at estate sales, thrift stores, and flea markets searching for quirky items. She became a luxury handbag resale expert turned designer and charm curator. She uses vintage keychains and repurposed toys to transform nostalgic items into playful one-of-a-kind bag charms that celebrate sustainability. Her...
info_outlineOn today’s show, we’re chatting with Abe and Connor, the co-founders of Distressed Fest, which is a vintage event promoting distressed vintage as wearable art. If you’re listening to this live, Distressed Fest is headed to Brooklyn March 29th, and you should go check it out if you enjoy this episode.
On to our guests today, Abe is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but now he runs a vintage showroom in Brooklyn. He has a fine arts background and is a vintage clothing appraiser on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow. His business partner, Connor, is Distressed Fest’s west coast conter-part, hailing from San Diego where he’s been dealing distressed vintage clothing for some time now.
We chat about what makes distressed clothing so special and their most incredible finds on today’s show. It's a really interesting one and I think you’re really gonna love it – so let’s dive right in!
DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- [2:30] Early memories of buying and selling clothes, and lots of thrifting
- [9:46] The path into dealing vintage clothing
- [14:19] How distressed vintage became their special interests
- [25:23] Starting Distressed Fest, a vintage event promoting distressed vintage as wearable art.
- [30:04] Wash, wear, and repair as the markings of a good distressed vintage piece.
- [35:57] Distressed pieces have a visible history that can sometimes be interpreted.
- [46:08] Well-worn pieces becoming a status symbol in high fashion.
- [48:46] One of the wildest stories I’ve ever heard about picking vintage clothes from an abandoned homestead!
EPISODE MENTIONS:
- Distressed Fest
- @sumshitifound - Abe’s business
- @legarbaage - Connor’s business
- @distressedfest
- Led Zeppelin
- @erikbill
- @antiqueshirts
- @bangfoyobuckclothing
- @detailsvintage
- @shop.handbook
- @laborandgleangarment
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- 🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl
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- 🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod
SPECIAL THANKS:
A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible!
- Patty Weber
- Kathy Brand
- Lisa of Queenie & Pearl
- Lucille of Galipette Vintage
- KT
- Lydia Welp
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- Megan Morris
- Jennifer
- Alana Rivero