This Toronto vintage store co-owner makes hilarious videos about streetwear history
If you live in Toronto and love vintage clothing, you probably know about In Vintage We Trust, and if you're big into streetwear social media, you've probably seen the owner's videos about its history.
Not only are they informative, they're funny too, delivered in a zany, rapid fire style with host and IVWT co-owner Josh Roter yelling in a loud, raspy voice.
His look is attention grabbing in the videos as well, which are typically front facing green screen style videos: he sports a big bushy grey beard, eccentric eyeglasses and what appears to be a different awesome ball cap in every video.
The content is delightfully at odds with this brash style of delivery: watching a video about Big Head Tees might teach you about the origins of caricature art that stretch back to the 1400s.
Subjects range from Hawaiian shirts and rare New Balance sneakers to Nascar tees and Futbol jerseys. These historical-style videos were born out of lockdowns when the staff at In Vintage We Trust had some time on their hands.
"It's been a natural progression from speaking candidly to customers and peers about clothing to transitioning into transforming our social media into more of a historical vintage clothing retelling of sorts," Roter tells blogTO.
"They take longer, but custom content like this with added value really does elevate what we do to the next level."
The videos have blown up, with people coming into the shop asking about them, and DM'ing them to ask for videos to be made on specific topics within the vintage world.
"Social media experts tell brands and pages to either use sounds or make videos between 27 and 45 seconds, but these kinds of videos are usually one minute at least, sometimes much longer. Maybe we lose some carryover viewership, but the overall response to them is great," says Roter.
"I remember that we got an overly big response to a video we cut on Gramicci and in particular their most famous pant, the 'G Pant.' Such a great brand, we dropped a ton of knowledge on both how the company started and why it means something in the current marketplace."
One of Roter's personal favourites is a video on streetwear brand Stone Island.
"The cultural shift on how the brand entrenched itself within casual/soccer culture in England along with the rest of Europe is super interesting and unique," says Roter.
"The company itself makes insane tech fabrics which also speaks to why it's an important staple within the context of a large picture regarding contemporary and streetwear fashion."
The videos are dropped weekly in correlation with related products being dropped at the store that week, the shop restocked every Wednesday.
"Storytelling through video content and merchandising the shop with product are two things we think set us apart and we truly love to do," says Roter, who's always looking to do more in the realm of storytelling and fashion. He's even looking into starting up a shop podcast so people can get even more insight.
"We have some really exciting new vids lined up in correlation with amazing vintage in the next little bit," says Roter. "Guess you'll have to tune in and see."
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