KU students recycle fashion
Lawrence retailers fill high demand for vintage wear
By Denise Constantine Special to the Kansan
Would you like to wear the same kind of clothes that MTV bought for a music video or buy clothes worn by Brooke Shields?
You can find them at the Antique Mall. Vendors who rent booths at the mall on Massachusetts Street sell vintage clothing ranging from bell bottoms to velvet vests. While many of the vendors collect old clothing, Greg Martinez gathers his wares from some unusual places.
"I bought some of Brooke Shield's clothes that she wore while filming a TV movie, and I sold clothes to MTV for a music video," Martinez said.
Martinez said that the average price for bell-bottom jeans made before 1971 is $15 in Lawrence while the same pair of jeans sells for $150 to $350 in California. He finds that students sometimes buy vintage clothes, such as bell-bottoms, for fraternity and sorority parties. But he thinks vintage clothing will stay in style.
While the styles may be old, for many KU students vintage and recycled clothing found in thrift shops are current fashions. The Antique Mall, Barb's Vintage Rose, Arizona Trading Company, and the Salvation Army all located on Massachusetts Street all cater to students' tastes in vintage clothing.
Vintage bell-bottom jeans, sport coats, coats, hats, and velvet dresses from the '60s and '70s are the prevailing popular styles of clothing worn by many KU students.
"They are not just a fad because I've been buying them since I was 16 and now I'm 29," Martinez said.
Tom Leininger / KANSAN
Barb's Vintage Rose also sells popular styles of vintage clothes. Charlotte Dart, owner of the store, said that most of the vintage clothes she sells are to students who wear them as everyday outfits.
Greg Martinez has been selling vintage clothes in Lawrence for two years. Currently he has a booth in the basement of the Antique Mall, 830 Massachusetts St. The most popular items are jeans and dark sport coats.
"People like the quality, fabric, and the tailored fit of vintage clothes," Dart said.
Barb's Vintage Rose also rents vintage-styled costumes to KU students.
Barb Smith, Overland Parkjunior, is one of them.
"I rented a flapper dress for a party from Barb's Vintage Rose," Smith said. "It was only $20 which was the best deal around."
The Arizona Trading Co. is another recycled clothing store that also sells a small selection of vintage clothes. The average price of vintage clothes in the store ranges from $3 to $15, and the majority of customers are college students.
"Old styles are modernized and everything is cyclical," said Andrea Moreau, a salesperson at Arizona Trading Co.
Alisha Arora, Kansas City, Kan., freshman said she enjoys shopping there.
"The variety of clothing astounds me," Arora said. "I picked up a midnight blue velvet vest the other day for $4 at the Arizona Trading Co."
The Salvation Army operates a thrift store on the corner of Massachusetts and 19th streets that sells very inexpensive vintage wear. The average prices range from $1.75
to $2. Money that is made by the Salvation Army in the store is donated to support a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Kansas City.
"Students buy vintage clothes to make costumes for fraternity or sorority parties," said Reed Peterson, manager of the Salvation Army store. "Students buy anything that's bizarre."
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