Want to thrift and make money? Below are 5 valuable vintage brands that you must look for (beginner’s guide to thrifting)

The rising awareness about the consequences of fast-moving fashion in the apparel industry has provided a significant boost to thrift culture in the past few years. Many Millennials and Gen-Zs now give preference to thrifting while curating their wardrobe. However, perhaps with a little more effort and knowledge, thrifting can give you more than just a well-curated wardrobe.

Presumably, all of us are aware of the more popular legacy brands these days like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Polo Ralph Lauren, which not only makes people less likely to sell them in good sellable condition at thrift prices but also originals are difficult to tell apart by the untrained eye given the mass influx of knockoffs. Below are some vintage brands and articles that can, with some good finds, guarantee you a sizeable payday.

BRANDS LIST

1. 1. Carhartt

“You can bet on America and Carhartt Work Clothes!” Carhartt is the OG workwear manufacturer in the United States, with its origins dating back to 1889. It began as a workwear brand aimed at etching its place in the daily laborious lives of the blue collared sector in the US, therefore focusing on maintaining the highest standards of durability and quality which is present even to this day, as its slogan says. As a result, you would more often than not find Carhartt articles in fairly good condition. Moreover, the quantity of ‘fakes’ or Carhartt knockoffs in the market is considerably less and easier to identify in comparison to others like, most popularly, Nike and Adidas, giving you a better chance of landing an original despite being a beginner at thrifting.

Its iconic Detroit Jackets, Dungarees, Coveralls, and Work Pants are all great thrift finds and you can sell them easily for upwards of $100 depending on the condition and date of production as mentioned on the tag. Be sure to check for the tag to be present, and if you are lucky enough to find a vintage article dated backward of 1970, get ready for that payday.

2. 2. Levi’s 501

Levi’s is THE iconic denim brand of not only the US but arguably the entire world, with its earliest origins dating back to 1853!! With its current-day 501, 505, and 511 jeans holding good value, its vintage 501 denims are the most valuable. You are most likely to come across the 501 from the 1980s onwards, the manufacturing date of which is verifiable from the 3 or 4 digits immediately after the first 3 digits on the care tag attached at the back of the pocket. For an authentic pair, the style code number of the jeans (printed behind the button on the inside) is also going to match the code present on the care label. Moreover, it will always have the original leather-like cardboard present at the back of the jeans with the 501 label.

Given how widely popular Levi’s is, you are almost guaranteed to find a pair with some effort. The older it is, the better. Its straight vintage style along with the quality hard denim fabric is hard to miss and easy to identify, and if you are in luck like this particular gentleman, call your parents and give them the good news!

3. 3. COOGI Sweaters

This is a revered Australian sweater brand, one that you can never go wrong with. Most of us might know of its status as a luxury brand with a quick Google search, but why do they sell so well? Well, they are handmade and carefully woven with the purest of fabrics. Naturally, they are highly durable and of unmistakable quality. Their signature style, vibrant colors, and eye-catching patterns have stayed synonymous with the brand name since its birth in 1969. Its sweaters’ unique and vivid weaves have helped elevate the brand’s status as a luxury brand by catching the attention of notable celebrities like Snoop Dog, Drake, and Bill Cosby, who also wore it at a live performance. It is not only valuable vintage, but a venerated and bold fashion statement.

COOGI sweaters might be relatively harder to find but you can rest assured that you won’t miss it when you see one. Some of its vivid ‘biggie’ knits from the 1990s can sell for upwards of $500, while others can also be sold for anywhere between $200-$300 easily. Keeping a curious eye out to find one of these will always be worth the effort.

4. 4. Screen Stars

For experienced vintage thrifters, Screen Stars is one of the most famous vintage t-shirt brands to find, having come into existence in the 1970s and then peaking in the 1980s. It is the property of Fruit of the Loom (then the Union Underwear Company). As the name suggests, FOTL was initially an undergarment company that progressed to specialize in producing blank tees/undershirts. Taking it a step further, they decided to create a product line of unbranded blank tees to sell to wholesalers for them to screen print their desired promotions on these tees, giving birth to this iconic vintage allure. It is amusing how these ‘unbranded’ screen stars became the brand that we vintage admirers know of today.

The worth of any vintage Screen Stars you find should be determined by the print on it and the tag. The prints can vary and be based on any of the trending topics of the 1970s and 1980s, from prints paying tribute to some iconic Nintendo video games to election campaigns and Metallica concerts, each holding significant value in their own regard. As for the tag, the iconic Screen Stars logo comes in many colors and sizes, but the most valuable generally is the one with the fabric composition reading 100% cotton . Given how popular these T-shirts are, they are not only going to be easy to sell but also at a good price.

5. 5. Harley Davidson

The Harley Davidson motorcycle brand is one that most of us are probably already aware of, but alongside, it holds its place as arguably the most iconic streetwear brand of vintage times. HD first entered into this class of apparel manufacturing in 1947, when they produced the leather motorcycle jacket to complement the riders of their lionized motorcycle lineup, which remains the standard for biker jackets to this day. Later on, as their motorcycle lineup then progressed to include more lightweight models in the 1970s and 1980s, they produced their most iconic motorcycle t-shirts to offer better ergonomics for riders of these models. Their prints and make capture the essence of hard-hitting streetwear of that era perfectly, and despite how rugged they get, these t-shirts continue to age like fine wine one would say. Harry Styles and Travis Scott are among the many celebrities to have repped a rugged HD motorcycle t-shirt more recently.

The most valuable of these HD motorcycle t-shirts are the ones with the 3D Emblem tag, which were produced between the 1970s and 1994. Their ridiculously intricate screen prints are almost impossible to replicate and therefore hold immense significance in the eyes of collectors. The newer Harley’s, post 2000s, would sell for around $30 on average, so you can choose to keep them for some time till they appreciate some more in value. The older ones, however, can be as pricey as it gets, so be sure to pick them all in any case!

CONCLUSION

This can perhaps be regarded as the tip of the iceberg. Covering all the other high-value vintage thrift brands and articles and assessing their originality would stretch out to the length of several books. Fortunately, we have turned the first page. Congratulations and happy thrifting!$$