So lets just get straight into getting to know the dope couple Josh and Diana who are Klasse Vintage.
Taking it back to around the same time but last year (2019). First off I want to recycle some content for the people out there who haven’t seen it before getting some of that new good shit, ya digg.
So to all of those who are reading introduce us to who you are and what you do? Oh and what’s your favourite thing/s you’re into right now?
We are Diana and Josh or D and Pacey, due to the confusing pronunciation of Diana’s name and Josh’s (so called) inability to run. Together we have been developing our business, Klasse Vintage, for a solid 2/3 years. I, Josh, have taken this up full time after finishing my Politics degree at the University of Liverpool in July 2018 (thank god). Doing a degree in politics helped as it gave me a lot of spare time due to low contact hours that I chose to invest into researching the vintage clothing market and importantly learning what items are desirable when I probably should have invested more of my time into my degree…but what’s done is done and I came out in one piece….just. Researching the vintage world is something that people who have an interest in the area should look into before they fully commit themselves – a good place to start would be to watch Round Two on YouTube as that brings to life ‘vintage’. Although currently D’s main focus is a job unrelated to the vintage scene, she still plays a part in modelling the womenswear and supporting with the general upkeep of Klasse Vintage.
Ooooh tough one, favourite food at the minute has to be a good Ham and Cheese toastie, or a delicious croquet monsieur which D and I recently discovered during our time in Paris last month. Favourite new song at the minute has to be Monster by 21 Savage from his recent album.
Vintage reselling I wouldn’t say is something you one day just decide to try and pursue out of nowhere. I’d say that you either have an interest in fashion or have that entrepreneurial spirit in you from the off. So what first got you into the game??
Would probably say the university culture. The vintage scene rapidly became a big thing during our first year at Uni with what seemed like 90% of people on campus
rocking gear from favourable brands such as Tommy, Polo, Champion etc. and since then it’s something I have increasingly become involved with. Initially it started out with selling whatever I could get my hands-on and selling on platforms such as eBay and Depop, which was then all spent down the pub that very same night. Back then I didn’t view selling clothes as a viable way to make a living, it was more a way to make enough to go out for that week. In the last year, I have begun to take it more seriously, with the boring (but probably the most important) side such as recording everything on spreadsheets and now I see the opportunity to do it as a ‘job’ and make enough to get by. While making enough money to get by is important in life, I don’t stress myself out about it in this role. I prefer to see the money as an added bonus to a hobby that I genuinely enjoy, especially after meeting so many new faces at pop ups and seeing positive customer reviews, all of which makes it worthwhile for me.
So you’ve been to uni and studied Politics something which definitely puts you on the intellectual scale and then resort to selling what people think are just ‘Second Hand Clothes’. I can imagine this wasn’t welcomed by everyone? So what were the first reactions by people around you to the fact that uni didn’t work out and you were instead pursuing something far from what you’d studied?
Parent’s heavily disapproved it at the start. They thought it was a dead end. They initially hated the idea of ‘manky’ (as they called it) second hand clothing being resold for any profit. However, that barrier has been broken and now they flock to see the new gear when it arrives and my dad is often the first person to call dibs on some items. My mates supported this venture from the get go and were my only customers during the early stages and I still do have a few regulars that have a decent share of their wardrobe from my store.
Just a little personal random fact here which I think tells a lot about a person also. So what’s your favourite colour?
Now that is a tough one. My go to is black but that’s in terms of clothing colour, just because it’s almost too easy to style and match with a decent pair of shoes. But if I were to choose a colour it would be a forest/olive green.
After so many years of reselling I’m sure you’ve seen a serious amount of heat so with that what’s the best grail piece you’ve had on your hands so far?
Got to be this Tommy Hilfiger Sherpa fleece. Don’t see it often at all and really wish it was my size as I miss it more every day since it was sold. Constantly on the lookout for one in my size.
There’s buyers regret but there’s also sellers regret too! So with that do you ever have times where you struggle to sell and let go of garms or do you just see it all as stock that needs to be sold?
Of course, I would frequently get through the majority of the photography and listing of items before a big launch and then pull an item or two 5 minutes before the drop because I wanted to keep it. It was a big issue for Diana and I but I think now it isn’t that bad, purely because we have kept so many pieces that it has now become unmanageable if we kept anymore. Plus, I soon realised that I would likely get in that same item, maybe just in a different colour/ size that I initially wanted further down the line so there is always an opportunity to keep it then. But yeah, since I started taking this more seriously, I have sold on many of my personals as I find there is just no need to hoard especially when I don’t get the wear out of them.
So you’ve come a long way from the start but there’s so much further to go along with multiple directions to turn so what’s the next step for Klasse Vintage?
I am just looking to nail 2019 and to keep listing, selling and consistently maintaining social engagement as I think that’s important for any business that’s starting out. I personally need to maintain motivated and structured with dropping new items along with actively promoting to ensure the business does well enough to survive. Of course it would be nice to have big goals for 2019 but I don’t want to get carried away with that. Consistency is key for me. Also, wanting to get involved with as many pop ups as possible throughout the year and so far, January is looking like a great start with three Garmhaus x Depop events and the VTG pop up.
Everyone’s got their pet peeves with what they do. I imagine it’s not something that makes you hate the process but instead just a part you’d rather be quicker/easier. So what’s your biggest gripe with selling vintage?
I would say I generally enjoy most aspects of the business especially packaging orders as those sold items are going away to be appreciated by the customer. I must admit that listing items, especially for BIG drops, is probably the most time consuming and boring task along with filling out spreadsheets for sales/stock level reviews but you know it needs doing so it eventually gets done with the help of a good Spotify playlist.
Pop-Ups are definitely something I want to get into in the future but are definitely a feat to conquer especially coming up from the bottom! I’m intrigued as to when you started and how the first one went?
Our first popup event was Garmhaus Leeds on the 16th of October 2017. Shout out to Zak Avery for giving us the opportunity. Both Diana and I were nervous as we’d not sold at any events like this as everything was over the internet until that point. We had no idea how many rails to bring, how many items to bring and how the event would work in general. I remember the first hour at the event was total chaos as the PayPal card reader was out of charge which meant that we had to rely on cash payments until that was back in action. Setting up at the event was frantic especially because I had to park the car a good 10 minutes away and then had to drag heavy boxes and bags to and from the venue. We learnt a lot from that event and now can safely say that, since then, we have improved and are a lot more coordinated and confident when it comes to setting up and selling at events. Every day is a learning day.
I always like to end with some good takeaway knowledge for the readers, so what are your top two tips for all vintage sellers around the world?
My biggest tip would be, and as cliché as it sounds it does ring true is DO NOT GIVE UP. Whether it be finding the right suppliers to generating sales, just do not give up. Times do get hard especially during the early months of a new year as money is generally tight for all but eventually, with enough perseverance and patience you will find people who resonate with your aims and you will have a great circle of customers.
My second tip is – be realistic. Especially when starting up – don’t expect to be able to stroll in to your local charity shop to find the sickest Tommy or Polo sport sat on the racks waiting for you. Don’t be afraid to diverge from the big popular spell outs as I know a few people that do very well from the UK scene as they don’t sell purely American vintage (such as Polo Sport & Tommy). They have ventured into proper vintage and found their own niche that
interests them while making good money from that. Take time to gain some knowledge by using platforms such as Instagram on what sells and what works for you before splashing that cash on cotton and I guarantee you will get more enjoyment out of what you do when selling something you are also interested in. The connections and exposure will then begin to flow once you start putting up your niche finds and feed up on IG/ FB/Depop.
Now you know a little more about the Klasse Vintage Duo. Its safe to say that they’re making a good mark on the vintage scene in the UK right now and you know the they’re definitely here to stay.
I hope you loved the interview, who do you wanna hear from next?
AMEKOSA 