As far as repair work goes, my mom taught me how to sew when I was really young. For the first several years of selling I didn’t pick any items that needed heavy repairing, but as time went on I became very inspired by the Sashiko and Boro styles of hand mending, and I had a few things with holes in them so I started patching my own clothing. Started out rough, the repairs weren’t good or clean, but I was proud of it! A few of my friends saw what I was doing so they started asking me to repair their clothes, then it seems to have spread mostly by word of mouth from that point. After two years it has become the most lucrative part of my business, which is great because I love doing it. I try to put my own unique touch on each garment and approach the repair with an artistic mindset because there are a lot of people who do repairs and I want to set myself apart and make my projects my own.

Q: What got you started in the reselling/repair world?

A: Reselling, I owe mostly everything to my friend Carter (@48vault on Instagram), who I met when I lived in Flagstaff. He was selling clothing on eBay when I met him. We ended up starting a band which ultimately led us to spending a lot of time together. We’d go to the bins all the time, so he showed me the ropes of selling and picking and whatnot. It started off as more of a side hobby, mostly just selling here and there on Depop to make rent when I wasn’t playing music. I didn’t make much at first but slowly ended up pivoting to the mindset of wanting to sell full time.

Q: What era of vintage is your main focus, and why?

A: My main focus I would describe as mid-century vintage, which is 50’s-70’s primarily. I gravitate towards this era mainly because it can be visually simplistic, and accessible. The right clothing from this era will last you a lifetime, it looks timeless, and can be a bit more affordable for the average consumer who wants older pieces in comparison to some clothing from previous eras.

Q: Where do you source your clothes?

A: A better question would be where don’t I source my clothes. I spend a lot of time tracking down very specific things in the styles and colors I like, and ultimately I’m open to getting them from anywhere as long as I’m able to make at least some money. A friend of mine once said “anything could be anywhere at any time.” I definitely took that to heart, and I always keep it in mind when going hunting for clothes.

Q: Would you open a store-front?

A: Maybe one day, I won't say no. Right now I really enjoy not having a schedule. I worked many years in retail, so I know what it’s like to wake up and not want to go open the store that day. What I see on the horizon is opening a studio space where people can set appointments to shop, or I could set specific days or hours that I could be open. I want to remain at a point where I don't have to hire or share responsibilities with anyone because I'm very particular about how I like to present things overall as a brand.

Q: Why Phoenix?

A: A big part of it was the cost of living along with Flagstaff being my hometown, it just seemed to be time for a change. I started meeting more people here that I wanted to spend time with, so I moved at the end of 2018. Since I grew up in Flagstaff I have a bit of a different relationship with the town in comparison to people who grew up here in the valley but it mostly came down to needing a change of scenery overall and Phoenix was the best option at the time.

Q: What’s the longest amount of time you’ve spent on a repair?

A: Probably around 15-20 hours. It was a pair of 90’s reissue Big E 501’s for my brother's roommate. There were 3 very large areas that the previous owner had patched that were starting to come out again. I re-did the original patches and spent a long time hand-darning the weak points in order to keep the minimalist appeal of the original patches while ensuring the fabric was ready for future wear. I definitely under-charged him, but it was a new experiment and he never asked me to do so much so I knew what I was getting myself into.

Q: When approaching a new project, how do you decide on the design of the repair?

A: Well ultimately I listen to what my client wants first and foremost but If left completely to my own devices, I usually just try to go with the flow of the fabric. I try to trim as little fabric as possible to keep the shape of the original holes if I can. I like my repairs to look soft and easy on the eye, so an amorphous blob shape is almost always my go to.

Q: Do you have a favorite repair?

A: Those 501s were definitely one of them, but another one that comes to mind is a sweatshirt I did for myself. It’s a blank light gray 50’s single V sweatshirt that had some original repairs done to it, but after wearing it for about a year I decided to take a crack at it. There was a lot of precision involved because of the amount of holes and how close together some of them were, but it’s definitely one of my favorites to show people like, “hey this is what I can do.” (pictured below)

Q: Who/what inspires you?

A: My overall inspiration comes from people who do things with intention, especially wardrobe-wise. There’s nothing I enjoy more than a nice capsule wardrobe that is painstakingly meticulous and minimal. I try to create a space where outfit repeating and wardrobe staples are embraced. Dressing with intention is sometimes more overlooked than specific valuable/cool pieces, but it’s what inspires me the most and gives me that spark to keep going.

Q: Do you have any pieces that you’ll never sell? if so, what

A: Plenty. The collection of sweatshirts I have on my wall I will probably never part ways with. There are definitely people who have expressed interest in some of my favorite pieces but the sentimental value I have invested in them outweighs the monetary value. Most of my Northern Arizona sweatshirts for example. The yellow Payson one (pictured below) belonged to my dad when he was young, and the other one is the oldest sweatshirt that I have from my alma mater at this point (pictured below). I think of myself as a collector more than a seller, I just have to sell some things to pay the bills and at least try to adhere to my own minimalist values.

Q: You sit down for a 4 hour repair session, what’s the first album you’d listen to?

A: As of lately there’s an album by a band named Joyer called Peeled that I’ve really been enjoying. Any time I've sat down in the last week to work I’ve put that album on.

I haven’t known Sam for long, but it feels like I have. Thank you for inviting me into your space, it was a pleasure talking with you. Be sure to check out his Website and Instagram, both of which are tagged below.

Website: Century Flowers Vintage

Instagram: @centryflowersvintage