Vintage clothing is a term used to describe garments that have originated from a previous era or generation. Ironically and inevitably, vintage styles have evolved with time, yet today their prices have failed to reflect their actual value. With the recent advent of what is referred to as “fast fashion”, various brands and designers have had their creations copied and reproduced for much cheaper prices subsequently causing the product to lose its inherent value. Leading the battle against fast fashion are stores like “Full Circle Athens”.
Recently we interviewed Tito, one of the four owners of the local shop. Within this interview, our blog team was able to learn about the background and inspiration for this establishment and its location. As stated by Tito, Full Circle was born from a mutual connection among four friends. The group of owners met at various vintage pop-ups and swap meets and this coincidental friendship blossomed into a business venture in the fashion industry. The friends started this journey to diversify and slow down the local fashion in Athens.
With locations in big areas such as Athens and Atlanta, Full Circle can keep up with current fashion trends and carry a wide collection of vintage items, sneakers, streetwear, and other clothing that may appeal to different audiences. The location in Athens was not a coincidence, the store wanted to bring their own taste to Athens while also considering the “vibe” of a college town. As stated by Tito, “There is an art to putting vintage pieces together”. He has always been interested in fashion itself and enjoys finding pieces for others to love just as much as he does.
Having a store in areas such as Athens and Atlanta allows these works of art to be shown to various individuals. Being in these areas has its advantages and drawbacks, such as things in Atlanta may sell better than if they were in Athens. To keep from having items sitting in either store for months on end, they swap between stores. This allows different individuals to have the ability to see different products and at some point reach the desired person. For example, Polos do better in Athens than in Atlanta; this could be due to the demographics.
Even though they are in different locations the stores have the same mission, work against fast fashion. It becomes harder with all of the new sites selling cheaper offshoots of logos and brands, but Full Circle works to promote the brand’s authenticity. Ironically enough, Full Circle does go full circle. They buy, sell, and trade clothing to promote authenticity and keep the value of the items. They look for clothing that is not made or found now, which also keeps the idea of “vintage” clothing. To price items, they go based on the original tags and the texture of said clothing. This not only allows them to sell the items for a reasonable price but also sell them for what they are worth