Category: History

The first time I heard the term “single-stitch” was in the early aughts when vintage Levi’s Jeans were having their vintage money moment. Everyone wanted to get their hands on (and legs in) a pair of Big E jeans or and selvedge, redline, hidden rivets, and single-stitch were among the vintage jean-related keywords at the time. At some point in the LEVI’s timeline, double-stitch construction was introduced and single-stitch became a sought-after feature. Dealers would often turn the rear pocket inside out to examine the hem because it was one method used to evaluate a pair. Meanwhile, in 2005, in ... Read more

1981-1989 Ocean Atlantic Textile Screen-Printing Inc., RN 73995, known as OATS or Wild OATS, Was founded in 1981 by Jerry Klause in Ocean City, New Jersey. Klause got his start on the Atlantic City Boardwalk creating t-shirts mostly for local casinos. During this time it was rare to see an OATS tag on an OATS t-shirt but when present they were 50/50 poly-cotton. More often, Oats would use other blanks like Spring Ford, Ched, and Signal – but their shirts could be identified by their logo and date printed below the design. 1990-1999 Vintage Brands Insider Sign-up Email*: Subscribe 1990 ... Read more

The Men’s 1972 U.S Olympic Trials for track and field were held from June 29 to July 9 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Could this be the perfect opportunity for a sportswear company headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon to showcase their new wares? Nike was originally founded in 1964 as “Blue Ribbon Sports” by Bill Bowerman, a track-and-field coach at the University of Oregon, and his former student Phil Knight. The two showcased the newly launched Nike brand shoe at the trials in 1972, and this relic is the first-ever piece of Nike apparel described as such by Geoff Hollister, ... Read more

1974-1987 Brockum (originally Krimson Corp.) was started in 1974 in England, later moving to New Jersey. In 1984 it was purchased by Toronto-based Concert Productions International (CPI). During this period there was no Brockum tag, usually just a generic ‘Made in Canada’ tag with RN#69761. Not only did Brockum’s roster include British titans like The Rolling Stones, Def Leppard, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, and Yes, but they also had licensing deals with Michael Jackson, Guns N’Roses, and Metallica. 1988-1997 In 1988 Brockum was sold to Labatt Brewing Company, this is when we start seeing the OG silver tags. It seems ... Read more

Winterland Productions was founded in 1974 by Dell Furano, his brother Dave and Bill Graham. Dell got his start working for Graham at his Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, and got the idea for his company from selling Grateful Dead Merchandise at the arena. From 1976-1981 Winterland was home to such acts as The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, and REO Speedwagon. T-shirts from this era were printed on various blanks with the small Winterland print on the front. 1982-1991 The first Winterland tag was introduced in 1982, and variations of it were used until 1988. In ’88 Winterland was ... Read more