Archer Vintage: Top 10 of 2024

Although most of us are ready to forget last year as soon as our clocks change. I think it’s important to say goodbye to the last 365 (or 66) days we were subjected to.  To help me with my annual shake down, I asked a few of my friends if they would tell a story for CAMOUFLAGE about their 2024. The only parameter was that there were none… So I hope you enjoy seeing, reading about, and listening to, some of my super talented friend’s favorite stuff from last year :)

I’m Jason, a full-time vintage clothing seller from Nashville, Tennessee that loves streetwear/hip-hop.

I’m constantly looking for clothing whether that’s in person at thrifts/antique malls/vintage markets or Depop/Grailed/Ebay/etc - looking for unique pieces that stand out to me to sell or potentially add to my personal archive. So when Eli from CAMOFLAUGE reached out to asking me to write an article about my favorite things from 2024 I knew I had to dial in on clothing and music, the two things that keep my world spinning around. So here I’ll be taking you a little through what the highlights of 2024 looked like through my lense (in no direct order) 

1960’s Buco Leather Jacket

My 1960’s Cream Buco steerhide j-100 with a Harley Davidson patch Embroidered to the backside is the equivalent of a unicorn in the vintage world due to its extreme rarity. It has a one of a kind patina and embellishments that really tell the story of the jacket.

Leather Jacket companies from around the world but primarily Japan often try to imitate Buco’s original J-100 due to its iconic presence in the American biker world and top tier quality. As a full time vintage clothing seller I thrift extremely often and have found many many cool things throughout my years sourcing vintage but this takes the cake for top thrift find of 2024 and something I am so proud to as to my collection.

“Euphoria”

During 2024 we bore witness to one of the greatest face offs in hip hop history watching Kendrick Lamar go to bat with Drake. The world was all ears for this beef and when Kendrick dropped this track it couldn’t be turned off of my speakers. The intense energy paired with Kendrick’s incredible dissecting wordplay and vocal performance has given me no choice but to add this song to my top ten of 24’

 Vintage Ice Cube tee

Let’s go back in time - I’m a five year old in the backseat and my mom is playing a burnt C.D. which included the hit from N.W.A.’s 1988 release “Straight Out of Compton”. I am in the back rapping my heart out, and that was it. The birth of my love for hip-hop!

As I got older I continued to grow my love for hip-hop and did a ton of listening to N.W.A. as well as Ice Cube and Eazy-E’s solo work. Fast forward back to present day that no doubt helped shape me into the person I am. So when my friend Jodie (who’s vintage rap t-shirt collection is something that should be in history books.) showed me he had a vintage Ice Cube “The Predator” t-shirt I had no choice but to add it to my collection.

From the graphic to the unique wear and fading to the perfect fit and quality material and my obvious bias for Ice Cube this tee is truly one of my most cherished pieces of clothing and  had to be added to the Top 10

Basketcase Gallery LAX Flares

If you haven’t heard of basketcase gallery by 2025 you’ve definitely seen it on others. Their unorthodox grungy take on everyday apparel can be noticed everywhere from your ig feed to people you pass on the sidewalk to your favorite rapper.

I’ve had many basketcase items over the years but these truly take the cake. The extremely dark denim pairs perfectly with the enormous bellbottoms and will definitely guarantee heel bite. These quickly made their way into my weekly rotation after I tried them on with all my boots/sneakers and they all flowed perfectly.

Better w Age Backpack

A match made in heaven. The rock stars of streetwear Better with Age collaborating with classic American wool company “Pendleton”.

Better with age is best known for their extremely outside the box reworks of vintage pieces, taking a traditional item and adding a unique twist that makes you think “how do even think of this?” So of course in collaboration with Pendleton they did just that. Promoting the release of their one of a kind reworked pieces via a video of a mime driving a truck kitted with Pendleton plaid interior (using vintage Pendleton fabrics) .

One of the pieces from the collection that really caught my eye was the backpack with the shape and embellishments reminiscent of a luxury bag but reworked with a random assortment of Pendleton plaid that really brings a cool punk element to the piece

Gap Year - Laila

R&B artist Laila dropped her debut album “Gap Year” in September and I still spin the album front to back at absolute minimum once a week. She provides an extremely original almost dream-like sound on some profound self produced tracks of various grooves and energies. Whether you’re on that late night drive or you need something to turn on at the function the bring the energy up this “Gap Year” has got you covered. 

Karl Kani Engineer Boot

Found at a flea market here in Nashville for $20, these have become the most worn boot in my closet.

Taking the causal engineer boot and adding a lug sole with a nice heel. The leather is worn in perfectly. The iconic Karl Kani iconography is displayed on a slightly flashy metal badge embedded the side of boot shaft and spelled out across the strap. Something about the boots has this slightly elevated feel to them apposed to your classic engineer boot.

Everyone needs a good everyday boot and I couldn’t imagine a better pair than these.

Nothing is Freestyle - Alchemist

Hard to talk about hip-hop in 2024 and not mention The Alchemist. He’s known for his intricate soulful beats usually rapped on by other artist however on this track Alchemist shows us his own skills on the mic’. He provides this boasting personal with witty lines elaborately letting us know he’s a seasoned veteran in the rap game and worked hard to obtain his position in the game.

Drugstore Cowboys Hat

I had recently been in the market for a blue hat and when I came across this hat by “Drugstore Cowboys” I had to have it.

The sporadic fading throughout the hat and white paint details really add a “cooler than your average hat” sort of of energy to it. Accompanied by the “Mac miller death cult” embroidery and the short passage about love on the side this hat undoubtedly had so much thought put into the creation process and it really shows. Without fail every time you rock it you’ll receive a couple compliments.

Thrashed Dog Hoodie

When searching for vintage pieces for my personal collection the piece has to really stand out and this hoodie definitely does exactly that. From the perfect wear/distressing showing the person who had the hoodie in the past loved it just as much as I do. To the badass graphic showing a ferocious dog in front of a shovelhead engine.

The graphic usually printed by “American Thunder”(famous for their prints utilizing colored lightning in the 90’s)  is a slight anomaly considering there’s no lightning and no licensing that would be on an official American Thunder product. To add to this pieces truly one of a kind energy it has a sleeve hit from the beach shack it was originally purchased from back in the 90’s which just goes to show you how easy it was to get awesome clothes back then.