Ep. 54 - Brian Davis (Wooden Sleepers Vintage Clothing)
I was actually familiar with today’s guest’s store prior to even knowing who owned it, and that man is Brian Davis. A close personal friend of previous STANDARD H Podcast guest, Jeremy Kirkland, Brian was among the many of us who were into punk and hardcore in high school only to find our career paths leading us to fashion. We discuss what it’s like working retail at an early age and the role of respect within the profession. He describes his work ethic and how he manifested that in even the most mundane of tasks. Brian founded his vintage apparel company Wooden Sleepers during the menswear blog era and is unofficially, yet almost absolutely, the first vintage menswear company that was offered online, direct to consumer. Brian is a native New Yorker who has an incredible point of view and a knack for finding “the good stuff” when it comes to sourcing, be it a vintage LL Bean sweater or dead stock Brooks Brothers oxfords. He explains why vintage was for him and why it’s worth its weight in gold. He later goes into how the brand began existing on its own enough to spark interest in private label goods being sold in Japan. We have a very meaningful walk down the path of authenticity and how it relates to brands on social media and we even discuss who serves the best slice of pizza in the City, so for you foodies out there, feel free to “at us” in the DM’s regarding what Brian refers to as the Rolex Submariner of pizza. I completely agree with his positioning on the matter.