A variety of vendors were out in full force at the third installment of Hamilton Flea on Oct 22. Carefully curated vintage stores set up booths between stationery designers and unusual record collections.
However, some of the busiest booths throughout the day were those selling lapel pins and iron-on patches, including Matt Darling, Rachelle Letain and Rosehound Apparel.
These accessories, often referred to as “flair,” are having a moment in the spotlight. Tiny details such as a wilted flower carefully pinned to a shirt collar or a stick-and-poke tattoo merit badge can add a touch of the unexpected to a simple outfit.
Megan Campagnolo launched Rosehound Apparel following her graduation from Ryerson University’s fashion program in 2013.
“During my last year at Ryerson, it really kicked in that I wanted to design my own clothes,” she explained. “I’ve always been obsessed with cult high school movies and TV shows from the 80s and 90s… A hybrid of kitsch and classic pieces is what I strive to create in everything I do,” Campagnolo added, explaining where she draws inspiration for Rosehound’s clothes and accessories.
A Hamilton native, Campagnolo was a familiar face at October’s Hamilton Flea. “I did the Hamilton Flea last November and it was such a great success that I couldn’t wait to do the next one.”
Although she explained that she now travels extensively with Rosehound merchandise, Campagnolo has no intention of abandoning her roots.
“I think there will always be a special place in my heart for events like the Hamilton Flea… There’s nothing like being able to go home and see the first people who have supported you,” she said.
Campagnolo’s history with Hamilton Flea organizer and Girl on the Wing owner Whitney McMeekin dates back to her early post-graduation days.
“I think it’s important to support local artists specifically because so much of fashion is made in other parts of the world,” McMeekin explained. “Knowing that you’re supporting an actual person, that has a face, and you know about their actual company [is great].”
McMeekin was quick to cite another Canadian pin and patch vendor she supports: Stay Home Club, owned by Montrealer Olivia Mew. While Stay Home Club was missing from the lineup at this edition of Hamilton Flea, Mew has set up shop at previous events.
After posting the Stay Home Club logo on Tumblr to positive response, Mew quit her administrative job at a law firm to work on the line from home, something she had always wanted.
To create the lush floral patterns that are part of SHC’s signature style, Mew finds inspiration in varied textures.
“I have favourite historical periods I go back to for aesthetic inspiration often… I particularly love the arts and crafts movement, and have recently been looking at a lot of Chinese embroidered textiles,” she said.
While both Mew and Campagnolo are engrossed in companies they love, both women identified specific challenges they face in their work.
“Because most of what we do is online, convincing people to trust us enough to buy the items without seeing them in person… [is always] a work in progress,” Mew said.
Conversely, Campagnolo admitted that time management is a skill she has had to hone since launching Rosehound.
McMeekin highlighted another challenge both Mew and Campagnolo have faced: plagiarism.
“I know both of them have dealt with their work being copied, or have had their ideas stolen, so I think it’s really important to support them firsthand.”
Fans of both Stay Home Club and Rosehound Apparel are eager to see how their lines develop, and so is McMeekin. “I think it’s important to support independent female designers… They do such hard work and they do such great stuff. So I’m always happy to carry designers like that.”
Amanda Watkins
LifeStyle Editor
If you are a normal, living, breathing human being, either male or female, it is likely that at one point in time, you have wanted to be Zooey Deschanel. It’s a huge generalization, but that does not make it any less true.
Many “alternative” and “hip” celebrities, like Deschanel, sport a style that is uniquely their own and often reminiscent of eras past. And often, when we long for the style of another, we ask ourselves, how do they manage to look that way, all the time?
I’ll let you in on a little secret – many of these alternative and hip celebrities shop vintage.
Vintage clothing and styles have been popular since the early two thousands when thick-rimmed glasses made viagra tablet weight a comeback and Mad Men took flight with ratings. Old was new again, and styles long forgotten were resurrected by high fashion designers and street style pros alike.
Wearing vintage clothing tends to have yuppie-ish connotations that are both inaccessible and untrue. Second-hand styles are easy to find and can be worn by all. Buying twice-loved clothing is a sustainable and cost-effective alternative that allows for a unique and exciting shopping experience.
Hamilton is lucky to have several vintage fashion stores within the area that offer selections for both men and women.
Lauren Erickson, owner of La Bichette, a vintage and contemporary store located off of James St. N. and Barton, started selling second-hand fashions in June of this year when her store first opened.
“A lot of people think that because something isn’t new, the quality isn’t as high. But, it’s actually quite the opposite,” said Erickson.
Older clothing will often be handmade and feature higher quality fabric that can’t be found in today’s mass-produced goods. Detailing with buttons, stitching, and extended seams are also common traits that make for easy alterations, fittings, and unique styles.
When gathering goods to market at a vintage boutique, there are several different ways that clothing can be acquired and made ready for sale.
“I’ve been collecting for probably 10 years,” added Erickson when asked where her supply comes from. "I’ve inherited some of the pieces from family and friends, purchased some from estate sales, and have thrifted many of the pieces."
Consignment stores are also a popular choice for vintage shopping. They sell second-hand clothes from a starter price point, and as time goes by and the item is not sold, the price is gradually reduced.
Although boutique-style stores tend to be the more popular choice for second-hand and vintage shopping, there’s something to be said for thrift stores a la Value Village and Talize. With time and patience, filtering through racks can result in a rewarding shopping experience.
“If you’re going to shop vintage, make sure you have time,” recommends Erickson. “It can be a lot of fun, but you have to factor in time for trying on items and looking through all of the options.”
Shopping vintage is a lot like constantly finding great deals on sale. It can be a thrilling experience, especially when you find a unique buy. Some pieces are actually better purchased twice-loved, such as outerwear and party dresses.
“You’ll never have to worry about someone having the same dress as you,” said Erickson in reference to shopping vintage.
Purchasing vintage clothing is easy and accessible, especially in Hamilton. And contrary to popular belief, it is available and appropriate for everyone, and not just certain sects of society.
“Vintage isn’t just for hipsters. Everyone can wear vintage,” said Erickson.
Shopping vintage can be a fun and beneficial experience. Looking up to icons of the past, and alternative stars of the present, you may be setting the trends of the future. And if you look past the common misconceptions surrounding it, you may just be the next Zooey Deschanel.
I’ve been carrying this camera around for the last twelve hours. It’s brown, made of plastic (with a rubber inlay) and has a built-in, non-removable fisheye lens. It prints onto 35mm film. To be perfectly honest it looks and feels and like a toy. This is the charm of Lomography.
Put simply, Lomography is a company that specializes in creating quirky, compact, affordable and uniquely inspired analogue cameras. I’d like to emphasize “unique” because I’m fairly confident that there is no other way to acquire a film camera with four (or eight, or nine) lenses in a grid pattern, all capable of taking sequential action shots and leaving your friends asking which editing program you had to use to get those effects.
The multi-lens camera line, while arguably the most popular, doesn’t even scratch the surface in the grand scope (get it?) of Lomography’s products. Other notable mentions include pinhole cameras, panoramic cameras, and even a hand-cranked video camera to produce retro silent films. For the analogue photography aficionados (I’m sure you’re out there somewhere), there is a wide selection of nicer cameras with minimal but effective aperture and shutter-speed selection settings, as well as a line of varied films for different print styles.
The history of the Lomography company is almost as cool as the products they sell, so bear with me for a century. In 1914, LOMO was founded in Russia to produce cameras, lenses, and weapon sights during the First World War. They later underwent a few corporate name changes and began to focus on high-end lens development, but not before leaving behind the Lomo Kompakt Automat or LOMO LC-A.
Jump ahead to 1991, when a pair of Viennese students picks up the LOMO LC-A in an old-school camera shop and fall in love with the highly lit and unpredictable nature of the analogue gem. The boys start up a company to recreate the camera, and spend the next two decades rapidly expanding as their retro empire grows into a sprawling cultural phenomenon. Now, with a substantial online following and stores all over the world, they have succeeded in keeping film photography around and appealing (for the time being).
Lomography seems to be a hit or miss topic with most people I’ve spoken to over the last few weeks. The common responses to my condensed summary are “you can still buy film?” or “why wouldn’t you just get a digital camera?” The first question is actually not as laughable as it might seem. The last few years have been a whirlwind of sharper, more user-friendly, and more affordable digital cameras. 2012 was the year of dumbed down and highly accessible “vintage photo effect” apps, with Instagram eventually emerging as the crown jewel. In light of all this, it’s almost surprising that a market for analogue photography still exists. This brings us to the next question: why?
It’s the same reason you can still find a record player and vinyl records with relative ease: something about it was worth hanging on to. There is often an argument made for the quality of film prints, but it’s becoming impossible to compete with the digital camera, so what is it? I chalk it up to nostalgia and the surprising, unpredictable nature of film. It’s the sunspots and slightly excessive exposure that make memorable photos, and analogue photography preserves the element of surprise that digital photography has spent years eliminating. Nostalgia speaks for itself - unless of course you think your grandkids will appreciate the wistful magic of clicking through thousands of your ancient Facebook albums.
Is Lomography flawless? No. It doesn’t offer digital clarity and you have to buy film pretty often. These are the things that have turned a generation away from analogue photography, but they are also the endearing qualities of a unique art form that isn’t ready to be laid to rest just yet. Pick up one of their cheaper cameras in the Toronto store location or via the website if you feel like giving it a shot, and spread the word: newer is not always better.
Brody Weld
