Astral Boutique : This is the only vintage shop on Etsy that I know of that caters exclusively to MEN! What inspired you to bring vintage to this specific audience?
Kahlil : The lack of men's vintage clothing online is what pushed me to start my store. You can find alot at physical stores around the globe, but there are men around the world who don't have access to vintage in their area, and i felt someone had to take responsibility to bring it to them in the only way they could find such clothing without driving miles and miles to the nearest city...online.
AB : Topanga Canyon has been called home by artists and musicians for decades. Can you tell us how you came to live there, and what life is like in the Canyon today?
Kahlil : As a child my mother used to bring me to these festivals that would take place in the canyon, and i loved looking out the window and seeing these homes that to me looked like tree houses. It was only natural for me to choose this place to call home, unfortunately i can only call it home for a few more months, but the good news is im only moving 10 minutes away. Topanga Canyon is one of those few places in America where the idea of brotherhood and sisterhood still lives and breaths, a rare place in the world where the energy of the earth is so strong it has created a magnet of creativity.
AB : One of the things I love most about your shop are the unabashedly poetic titles for your pieces, aka "As the dawn creeps up the sky ...the hunter caught sight of a doe in his desire for conquest", and "A great dandy, tinware, one hundred and second hussars, a figure of a mustache, and a comrade who never failed to murmur with jealous envy..." Some of them sound familiar, some seem like dreams... could you talk about your process in coming up with the names?
Kahlil : I got tired of the same old listing titles and decided to do something more interesting and creative. I try to write something that has some relation to the item, but most of the time its just a collection of random words that come to mind, not necessarily meaning to be poetic or to even make sense, and if im feeling lazy i will just write some lyrics of songs im listening to.
AB : Do you shop on Etsy yourself ? Have you found anything awesome lately? Is there anything you are keeping an eye out for right now?
Kahlil : At the moment im looking for hats, all kinds of hats. furry hats, feathered hats, ethnic hats, all kinds of hats, the most recent item i purchased off Etsy was a rabbit fur russian hat that i absolutely love, and i cant seem to take it off.
AB : Okay, this is the total teen mag question: could you tell us a few of your musical loves that our readers should check out?
Kahlil : Ooooh, this could be a whole interview in itself.....but i would check out anything in the field of psychedelic world music, new and old. My alarm clock is set so it plays Ravi Shankar when i wake up so if you haven't heard his music i would highly recommend it, and I have been on an Ennio Morricone craze at the moment, as well as being in a deep interest with 70s horror movie soundtracks.......Oh, and last but not least, a band that is a combination of everything i like in music....The Entrance Band, there's nothing about them i do not like....
A big thanks again to Kahlil for doing this interview! You can check out Big Brother Vintage here- happy shopping!
Yay! Finally some Vintage online for Men!!! Thanks Sasha!!! Hope you've enjoy the DVD!!!
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000206934566 | 03/09/2010 at 12:34 PM
Wicked! Thank you Sasha for bringing this to us.
Posted by: Milla | 03/09/2010 at 04:16 PM
Man oh man, this is great. Thanks for sharing, and good grief do I want that embroidered top :)
Posted by: mlle ghoul | 03/09/2010 at 07:31 PM
Yeah, I've seen a lot of Big Brother Vintage's stuff on etsy, they're doing a great job.
And, just because I'm a shameless self promoter, I just uploaded the first stuff onto my own, menswear-only etsy store...
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WaywardSon
Much more will follow this weekend.
Xx
Posted by: Grant | 03/10/2010 at 02:37 AM
This really is a great shop. And that model is totally drool worthy! xo
Posted by: Mousevox Vintage | 03/10/2010 at 07:47 AM
loved this article...i've always admired his shop
xo,
claire
Posted by: mamushkamarie | 03/10/2010 at 10:41 AM
once again we are in synch...though my feeble little mind wouldn't have thought to contact big brother for an interview. yay for sa and yay for big brother!
Posted by: nicole | 03/11/2010 at 07:40 PM
Great Post! Thanks for pointing out another place to find great vintage clothes for men.
Posted by: A Vintage Man | 05/21/2010 at 05:56 PM
it looks as fabulous as I expected it too....looking forward to adding it to my vintage collection!
-mikee
Posted by: wholesale mens clothing | 05/26/2010 at 08:29 PM