In Vintage We Trust

OUR ARTICLE

The good news is you don’t need to wait until 2035, to score some near-impossible to find vintage sportswear. In Vintage We Trust has called Toronto’s Parkdale neighborhood home since 2014. Sifting through the racks of jerseys, and stacks of throwback tees is a time warp. From the popular: an original Dream Team era US basketball jersey, to the obscure: a 1980’s Manchester United away kit. Whatever it may be, you’ll likely find one of the jerseys that inspired you in your younger years.

Despite falling short of our goals, perhaps the next best thing to the feeling of that Griffey Jr. dinger, touchdown pass, or no-look dish to Karl Malone, is finding the perfectly aged jersey that bears their name

The shop’s curated collections go far beyond jerseys and sportswear. Workwear and military jackets line the shop along with a selection of vinyl, sneakers and accessories. Regulars of IVWT, see new drops every Wednesday, along with rarities sourced and displayed as the seasons change.

One important question in all of this is: who could possibly amass such a collection of fashionable oddities? The answer: Joshua Roter and Chantal Varela.

This tandem has been Toronto’s go-to for all things vintage for many years. Their influence on local label hunters and savvy sportswear hypebeasts cannot be understated. The shop’s co-head honcho, was the voice of the people in the 2017 documentary The Carter Effect. The Drake-produced doc took viewers through Vince Carter’s journey to Toronto and his impact on Canadian basketball (queue the RJ Barrett highlight reel). Roter gives a passionate overture of the most recognizable Raptor’s influence on basketball across the country and simoustanly putting Toronto on the map. Before Drake coined ‘The 6’, the number that mattered in Toronto was that of the dunk comp champ—15.

Fortunately, Roter’s passion doesn’t stop with the Raps. A worthy Instagram follow, the voice of IVWT is the hype man that you never realized you needed in your life. Wednesdays are ‘drop days’ at IVWT, and not a week will go by where you won’t be trying to justify purchasing a Bo Jackson era Nike tee as Roter parades the shop’s newest editions.

Despite our best laid childhood plans, we may not have grown up to be the next Ken Griffey Jr., Joe Montana or John Stockton (underweight suburban white kids needs role models too). Despite falling short of our goals, perhaps the next best thing to the feeling of that Griffey Jr. dinger, touchdown pass, or no-look dish to Karl Malone, is finding the perfectly aged jersey that bears their name… well it’s maybe not the next best thing, but it’s still pretty great, and for that we have In Vintage We Trust to thank.