Drew Heifetz of F As In Frank and Richard Colligan of Metropolis Vintage, came together to have an in-depth discussion covering all things vintage. Together the two have endless knowledge on vintage clothing and they love to pass it on to people who appreciate it. In this open discussion the two touch on topics concerning the changes of vintage clothing, how to survive in the vintage business, the trends that control the market of vintage clothing, and much more.

Heifetz is the owner of F AS IN FRANK Vintage and Frankie Collective, and the founder of Bidstich. F As In Frank is a vintage clothing store located in Toronto and has been the city’s best array of one-of-a-kind vintage clothing. Frankie Collective is an online retail store dedicated to innovating women’s streetwear taking inspiration from 90’s staples and reworking vintage garments. Drew has been involved in vintage clothing for over 15 years and says he’s loving every minute of it. Drew shares his knowledge through his podcast, Vintage n’ Stuff, and youtube channel F as in Frank.

Watch the full interview between Drew and Richard Colligan and get the full scoop on their conversation. Definitely a discussion you should check out if you’re involved in the vintage community or even if you just have an interest in vintage fashion.

The Ramones tour manager Monte A. Melnick and Founder of Punk Magazine John Holstrom sat down with ECC (East Coast Connection) to talk about the history of The Ramones T-Shirt. Tracing back to the beginnings in a loft on 4th street all the way through to the final tour 2,263 shows later. We spoke about how Arturo Vega (The Ramones Artistic Director) came up with the original concept of the eagle and how it changed into the well-known logo of The Ramones. Richard Colligan (Owner of Metropolis Vintage) is the host of the conversation. Richard brought along his extensive collection of Vintage Ramones T-Shirts displayed throughout the entire interview. If you want to see how Rock T-Shirts became a major source of income and developed into a major collectible, watch the video as we revisit the history of The Ramones logo from simple typeface lettering to the Presidential seal logo that is known worldwide.

Vintage t-shirts have become more than just collectibles but are now a big staple in fashion and pop culture today. With the ever-growing demand for vintage clothing the vintage market has expanded along with this increase for vintage fashion. Retailers such as Urban Outfitters, and Nordstrom have dipped their toes into vintage but not quite like the recent J. Crew capsule collaboration with Metropolis Vintage. The capsule features a full collection of original curated vintage music tees ranging from as early as the 1970’s. Each piece was specifically chosen to go with their new concepts and bring new life to the brand as they target a younger audience. It is great to see the impact vintage clothing can have on big retailers and its influence on fashion as a whole.

The full collection is currently available at J. Crew’s Brooklyn location on Wythe Avenue.

Recently owner of Metropolis Richard Colligan hopped on a call with Bidstitch to discuss his thoughts on this most recent dive into this huge retail market space. Clink the link below to read the full article covering the collaboration with J. Crew. Special thank you to Bidstich for the featured article!

J. Crew Ditches Khaki Pants For Vintage Tees

Metropolis Vintage

Best Brick & Mortar Vintage Store Winner 

Presented By Bidstitch

2021 Vintage News Award Winners Best Vintage Brick & Mortar (@MetropolisNYCVintage)                Best IG Live Show (@endoftheworldvintage)

ASAP & Rhianna leaving Metropolis Vintage on Dec. 2, 2021

Redman at East Coast Connection Vol.4

Redman

One of the biggest highlights of East Coast Connection Vol. 4 was special guest Redman. He is considered by many hip hop enthusiasts as one of the premiere hip hop artist of all time. For ECC Vol. 4 he emptied out his inventory from his storage collection and had his own booth with exclusive merchandise. Attendees got the chance to purchase merchandise that hasn’t been attainable since the time of its release. Some of the pieces included “I’ll Bee Dat!” merchandise which was a single from Redman’s fourth album “Doc’s da Name 2000” released in 1998. Throughout the day people gathered around the table waiting for their chance to get their hands on his exclusive merchandise and a conversation with the hip hop legend.

Much appreciation to Redman for being apart of another successful East Cost Connection.

Redman X Futurepastnyc X Freshkillsvintage X Spider Cuz

Peter Rosenberg at East Coast Connection Vol.4

FuturePastNYC X Peter Rosenberg

East Coast Connection Vol. 4 brought out the vintage community for a full day of NYC’s biggest t-shirt exchange on October 3rd. The venue was full with over 40+ t-shirt vendors and 700 shoppers/collectors. People came from all over the country and even some from overseas. Some familiar faces were even spotted during the event  such as radio/TV personality Peter Rosenberg. In NYC Peter Rosenberg is best recognized for being the voice of radio station Hot 97. He is also notably known for his work with WWE as a host/commentator and for his work with ESPN/YES network covering sports. However his appreciation for vintage t-shirts is unknown to many. His love for wrestling as a child sparked his interest in vintage wrestling t-shirts. In an article with Hypebeast in 2017 Peter Rosenberg discusses his love for vintage wrestling t-shirts and how he sees an opportunity for vintage merchandise to evolve into something new. “Seeing how the merch game has become its own market is amazing, but also seeing how it’s led to a new market where you can have stuff like another collaboration between PUMA, the WWE and Foot Locker that does so well is cool too,” explains Peter Rosenberg.

Despite his love for wrestling his interest in vintage t-shirts goes beyond that and during ECC Vol. 4 Rosenberg was seen wearing a vintage Janet Jackson t-shirt.

Special thank you to Peter Rosenberg for being apart of East Coast Connection.

Peter Rosenberg

@futurepastnyc @freshkillsvintage @redmangilla @spidercuz_

East Coast Connection Vol.4 was the biggest event we’ve had yet. This time it wasn’t just one day but an entire weekend with something going on each day leading up to ECC 4. The weekend started off with a kick-off party Friday night at Grand Street Local in Brooklyn, New York. The next day a special coffee & jays live stream was shot in the morning at Metropolis Vintage with @endoftheworldvintage, @champagneroomwithsinatra, and @singlestitchclub. Following at 1pm @davesdirtyclothes hosted a special installment of vintage yoga live from the Metropolis basement. Once yoga was wrapped up the basement was opened up to customers for an exclusive look at Metropolis owner Richard Colligan’s personal punk t-shirt collection. Saturday night ended with a trading pit party with a tattoo artist (@nostalgicjade) on site giving out tattoos throughout the night. This all lead up to Sunday, the most anticipated day of the weekend for the official East Coast Connection Vol.4 event.

The event took place on Sunday October 3, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan, New York. ECC has grown so much from its inception it was only right to expand into something bigger. The venue was full with over 40+ t-shirt vendors and 700 shoppers/collectors, who bought, sold, and traded vintage t-shirts. People came from all over the country and even some from overseas! Doors opened at 9:30AM for early admission and 11AM for general admission. Early admission allowed attendees an exclusive look at what vendors had to offer while they were still setting up.  By the time 11AM came around the venue was full with people & ECC Vol.4 was officially in full effect. Soon after doors opened special guest Redman arrived with pieces from his vintage storage collection. The nostalgia Redman brought to the event was like no other, with people gathering around the table waiting for first shots at his exclusive merchandise and a conversation with the hip hop legend. The infamous Spider Cuz was also a special guest bringing in that true NYC vibe with his Yankee fitted, Timberland boots, and bottle of Hennessy. The trading pit was active from start to finish and live auctions were ran during the show with a Salvatore Dali t-shirt auctioning off for $1.8k! Additionally an amazing East Coast Connection poster was created on site by talented artist @saintsoho

ECC Vol.4 poster by @saintsoho

By the end of the night everyone left with something in hand but more importantly with a smile on their face. “There is a lot of emotional attachment to tees. It is great to see a new vintage area developing with its own terminology and language. There is a need for these kinds of events. Vendors who sell 90’s vintage and t-shirts don’t always fit in with older events so they need new places to sell. And people want to come together. It is a big friendship, like a club”, Colligan says.

With each East Coast Connection the support continues to grow while new experiences and lasting memories are created. The main goal of East Coast Connection is to bring people together in the vintage community, hearing their stories, and building connections that go beyond just business. ECC Vol. 4 has helped us do exactly that.

This was the biggest vintage t-shirt expo to date here in New York City and we’re proud to be apart of bringing forth such an experience here in New York. The next East Coast Connection is in the works planned to take place around holiday time. So if you missed the last or have yet to experience an East Coast Connection get ready for what’s next. Follow our official instagram page @east_coast.connection for highlights of our previous events and stay tuned for details as we continue to post updates. Till next time

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-gmXoIY2FQ