Nashville Archive: Vintage Spotlight

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 :)

@clarkbrown16

Nashville's vintage clothing market has truly taken off, attracting new customers and sellers every day. With the risk of over saturation, how does music city stay true to originality and creativity where the majority look for the same things?

I’ll be highlighting a handful of sellers that pushed boundaries and set the standard for vintage in the city in 2024. Including: Jonas King (@j_nastyboi), Jason Bowman (@jasonbowma.n), and Lane Steakley (@lane.steakley). I sat down with each of them to hear how they all aspire to create their own footprint in the game.

Jonas - @j_nastyboi

Nashville native and vintage collector Jonas King, has one of the best curated selections of true vintage in the city. His personal taste and skilled eye for quality vintage has become recognizable among the exclusive group of legitimate true vintage sellers .

Within a wide range of true vintage, Jonas specifically looks for items from the 40’s-60’s. Some prominent brands he collected in 2024 from that era were Campus, Sun Valley, Bulls Eye, Levi’s denim, Tennessee-made company Flys, and more.

Another huge aspect of vintage items is the story they tell. How did this item get here? How did it get its unique wear? Jonas feels that knowing the story behind the clothing makes you feel closer to the piece.

“Learning the history of the item adds to the lure of the piece and gives a new energy to it. The initial concept behind archived fashion was to give items of clothing a second life rather than disposing of them. The history of these garments is a major part of what makes them unique. “

Throughout 2024, Jonas solidified connections within the community. He often does trades or business with other vintage sellers to better solidify his selection. “Once you know each other’s stories and different values you start realizing what people like and figure out what you like over time. It’s like appreciating art, if something speaks or appeals to me, then yeah I’ll buy it.. sometimes even if it’s not what I usually look for.” 

Being a lifelong musician, he has a special eye for good band tees, and is known for his selection of sweatshirts, jackets, and denim. Few vintage dealers have the skill for curation he has. And it's clear from their selections whether they genuinely care about what ends up on their rack. 

Catch @J_nastyboi during the Fiddlers Antique Week at the Clothing and Jewelry Show at the Nashville Fairgrounds next weekend, February 14-15th. Then on March 15th, he and over 100 other vendors will be back at the much anticipated first Nashville Vintage Market of 2025!

Jason - @jasonbowma.n

Another vintage seller featured at the upcoming Nashville Vintage Market is Jason Bowman (@JasonBowma.n). Around 2020, Jason started selling clothes to close friends and grew a real admiration for vintage and streetwear. He soon started Archer Vintage (@archervintage) and made his way into the vintage world. 

Rather than selling online, Jason prefers face-to-face–he is frequently a standout at markets and local events. “I usually hunt for versatile vintage that can be worn in a more streetwear type way.”

Growing up admiring the style of Kanye and Travis Scott, Jason feels they were some of the first to integrate vintage pieces into streetwear. While he doesn’t search for specific iconography, he picks whatever speaks to him.

I asked Jason about if his tastes have changed since he started, “There’s no telling how much valuable stuff I’ve regretted getting rid of. But there’s no way you can hold on to everything, so that will always be there.” 

As competitive as vintage in Nashville can be, he’s established himself in the community with his high quality selection of 80's, 90's, and early 2000's pieces. “The high competition also creates a community of vintage sellers and makes it more available for consumers.”

Despite this environment, Jason has managed to build a network of close friends within the scene. He and other vintage sellers use their cars, storage units, every room in their houses, and anywhere else to store clothes, but the key is to keep inventory on a constant cycle. One of the places people go to sell their clothes and shoes is Music City Vintage (@musiccityvtg). 

Jason has been a part of Music City Vintage for over 3 years. In 2024, he coordinated several events, photoshoots, and collection drops, plus he assisted with merch designs like the ‘Sweetheart Hat’ throughout the year. He also brought a new segment to the store in 2024–Shop My Closet, an opportunity for stylish people around the city to display and sell their pieces at MCV. 

MCV is a buy, sell, trade business and, as one of the main buyers, Jason plays a key role in selecting the inventory - bringing a perspective that’s been a driving force in keeping the integrity of the business. “Hand-selected items within our identity are always better than just selling whatever is brought in that could make us money.”

Last year, Jason began an experimental art project last year that he calls Homegrown. He currently makes one-of-one custom pieces, designs graphics, and screenprints on garments. “The idea of Homegrown is we are all products of our environment, our sense of identity is shaped by things that inspire us. Coming from where I came from it wasn’t always easy, but I’m thankful for every experience I’ve gone through.”

Catch Archer Vintage (@archervintage) with a selection of versatile vintage and Homegrown customs at the Nashville Vintage Market at the Nashville Fairgrounds on March 15th.

Lane - @lane.steakley

While the majority of second hand vendors concentrate on selling garments, some are making noise for things outside of clothing as well. Very few artists, much less vintage sellers, emerged on the music scene in 2024 like Lane Steakley (@lane.steakley). Originally from McMinnville, Lane has been selling vintage in the Nashville area since 2022 and is well-known for his curation of 90’s style.

As a musician, Lane easily moves through various genres and creates anthems that everyone can dance to. I asked him what made this year feel different, “I started getting encouraged to drop and got the right people on the team to bring the music to life.”

Each song he dropped included a music video–intentionally bringing all the nostalgic, fun vibes that reflect the nightlife and the love for vintage culture in the city. In 501’s, he raps “This T-shirt ‘91 I won’t spill a sip on it.. and these 501s you can see the stitch on it”, alluding to the classic Levi’s 501 jeans and other fashion niches he and so many appreciate from the 90’s. “They get what I mean when I say I’m from Tennessee but this jacket from Detroit.”

Lane hopes to become somewhat of a “hometown mascot” for vintage in the city and continue to put on for Nashville with future releases. This will mean local performances. “2025 is all about performing for me. I need to get on that stage this year. We’ll tie it in with vintage and just vibe out.”

Lane feels that making music and creating media go hand in hand, and he’s at his best when he’s working on both. “When it’s time to make a song, I'm locked in on the music. When dropping a song, we’re all in on the ideas for marketing, for promo, then creating new connections and working from there.”

We also talked about his sound now compared to some of his earlier releases. “It’s always evolving and I’m still proud of the music I made 2 years ago, but I just love the creative process. Finding something that’s exciting for me is most important–I love making music, trying things, and dropping.” 

He aims to maintain the momentum this year with a new sound in his latest single, Scary Movie, which drops on Thursday (Today!). Keep an eye out for more local performances, even a potential project on the horizon in 2025.

Nashville’s reached a point where there are more vintage sellers than ever, but there are still so many creative avenues to be discovered within the community–even when the competition seems high. Recognizing your preferences and learning about the culture of archive fashion is key, so have some fun and be original when collecting and selling!