If you haven’t heard of the name Ed Perkin then you definitely at some point will hear about the youngster doing bits for UK vintage and coming up fast. I first met Ed at my first ever Depop event I went to back in October 2018. He was one of my first face to face contacts within UK vintage.
He’s definitely running a busy schedule stocking Cream Bricklane with some of the dopest high-end vintage, running his own personal online store Emporium Supply and now providing wholesale vintage to other vintage sellers across the UK its safe to say that he’s got plenty on his plate.
When this interview was done with Ed he was yet to start properly sourcing wholesale vintage so I think that its something we might just have to go over and hear about in the near future but for now get your teeth into out previous interview and enjoy.
After visiting the Leeds Garmhaus X Depop event which was super dope, I’ve got to ask how was it for you? Did you meet any great new people along the way and if so have you got anything coming up with new acquaintances?
Leeds Garmhaus was great!! I met Zak Avery for the first time who then came through at another London event to say hi and support me and the other vintage sellers. It was great to see faces who I normally only speak to online also. Students loved our stuff which was great. Connected with a few people but mainly not for business just customers and mates.
Despite you having around 20 thousand followers across both Depop and Instagram there’ll be some who are still yet to hear of you. So for those who don’t know, whats your company name, where are you based and what is it you do exactly? On top of this what’s the biggest thing you’re into right now?
My company is called Emporium Supply Limited. I live in Warwick near Stratford Upon Avon and Coventry. I do the vintage clothes full time and find myself in London the most for catching flights, business, seeing friends and events. Biggest thing right now on my mind is Suli Breaks poetry event this coming Thursday in London and getting 400 items online on the web and Depop. In terms of trends and all that; Polo Palace. Im really excited by the, I love OG polo, not as big of a fan of palace but Im just hoping its something skate mixed with old school polo; we will see though. Food wise hyped that giggling squid is a national chain not just in Warwick now can get there food wherever I go!
Gaining a following of your size definitely doesn’t happen over night and takes work and time so how long have you been in the Depop selling game and what first influenced you to get into it?
So Ive been on Depop for maybe 2-3 years, for 2 years selling vintage clothes for a profit. I first got into it from The Basement and Wavey Garms Facebook groups as a bit of side money buying a job lot from Rick (Ricks Retro). But as i flipped more and more items I found myself learning about different brands and cultures for good and bad. Learning about polo for example by being made a meme on some old school American Polo fans page for being a decently well off white kid wearing polo. After research and reading forums over time I came to understand why there was a kinda culture vulture impression for them and began to respect that the clothes aren’t just stock to buy and sell but some items have history and real culture connected to them and need to be handled with respect in occasion. This is just one example but the whole thing is just great! Learning and flipping stock at the same time. I now use various suppliers globally rather than buying from the community directly.
I’ve recently learnt that time is really of the essence and 24 hours in the day is never enough! With all the work you’re putting in both online and at events you really must be stretched thin! So with all that on your plate do you take it down as a solo operation or have you got a team behind you also?
It’s a solo operation as it’s my money on the line but 1000% not a solo operation as a business. All the events and model shoots I’ve done I couldn’t have done without the support of my mates and I’m forever grateful for them. I think last week was the first time I paid someone for working for me. This was my mate who helped with driving my stock down to an event; I still need to pass my test!
It’s becoming common knowledge that if you want to find the best of stock then the UK just isn’t always the place. So with that how long have you been flying around the world to obtain stock. You obviously can’t also just go to a country blind and not having a clue firing blanks. So how did you make your first contact for buying stock internationally?
I may fly around to get stock but my main word of advice is theres no golden nugget and what people often miss is right under their noses and close; a great source was for me anyway!
Prices differ all over the world no matter where you are or what you’re buying. With that what’s the best place you’ve been to find stock both for the best piece you’ve ever found and the best steal price on a certain garm. If you had some down time whilst sourcing what’s the craziest moment you’ve also had whilst out of the UK?
Without giving anything too valuable away the best accidental finding which was definitely a great find was in my grans old wardrobe. There were deadstock designer silk scarfs never opened all given as gifts from years back. Abroad not really sourcing but had the maddest time in Switzerland checking out the lowkey studio flat shop (they have a ground floor shop now) but opened my eyes to what you can achieve in the vintage game from a relatively small space.
Archive pieces are where a number of vintage resellers want to end up and there for sure are a number of them! Is there any grail/archive piece you are in constant pursuit of but still haven’t come up on as of yet?
Grails hmmm, Fendi black and white monogram trousers probably would definitely put all money in if found a pair. But other than that I’m easy. I try not to get too attached to pieces as I can’t afford to keep many clothes as of yet.
The top sellers on Depop seem to not just be using the site as their one stop shop but instead running it alongside their own website where you can also shop at and I see you’re doing the same. So how longs the website been up and hows it going? Are you looking to have a slow move across from the Depop to completely website sales or will you be selling on both platforms?
I’ve had the website for a year now, its hard to keep consistent so its stop start but that’s my aim from now on to keep it going consistently like the Depop.
You did a couple of YouTube videos (@Ed Perkin) and I liked the vision but what happened to them? Have you stopped them for a while/will you be starting them up again at some point or are they completely done?
Youtube videos are coming back soon, don’t worry! It’s hard to decide what to show because I would love to vlog but most my trips are sourcing so can’t show them.
All things good take time and come with a journey and life lessons. Over your whole journey from starting selling on Depop to now whats the biggest life lesson you’ve learnt?
I think the biggest lesson is always be honest and if there’s a problem you are better off sorting it, because often if someone sees that although a problem occurred they will respect you more for sorting it quickly and buy from you again. Also I wish I’d focussed from the start to keep customers rather than get new ones which I try and do more now. Last add on; biggest lesson is admitting you don’t know something and asking questions from someone as it’s the easiest way to learn and improve – something I need to improve for sure.
Every seller has their own little spin on things when it comes to operations. So for all the viewers and fans. To cap it all off give the community your top tips for Depop sellers and any other wise words that you have to share with everybody?
Depop tip would be http://www.depop.com/products/create – I didn’t know about it until recently but you can upload from a PC or Mac to your Depop! (Since late 2019 this is now now longer a secret tip as they have now put in a dedicated upload section within the desktop website.
So that’s it for this one and I hope you loved delving into the life of Ed Perkin. Im definitely wanting to get a part two to this interview now that his life has just got a whole load busier so stay tuned for that one!
Much Love, AMEKOSA
AMEKOSA 