Selling repurposed clothes runs in the family for brothers behind F Is For Frank
Jesse and Drew Heifetz of F Is For Frank clothing have made it their business to take damaged or outof-style clothing and turn it into hip, desirable fashion.
The brothers have been in the clothing trade since 2001.
After operating various vintage wholesale companies, they decided to open their own storefronts in 2007. They now have a store in Vancouver and one in Toronto, as well as a wholesale business.
Their passion for repurposing clothing is in their blood.
“Our father was in the business from 1967,” said Jesse. “My father’s business was called the Rag Machine and he was repurposing clothing in 1967. He was making dresses from denim bib overalls. He was making bags from leather jackets. He was actually one of the very first vendors at the original Woodstock Festival and he was selling repurposed clothing.”
Jesse says he and Drew are always on the hunt for clothing and no second-hand store or charity shop goes unnoticed. They’re busy guys, so they buy a lot of stock.
“We do a lot of bulk buying. Rather than throw out 300 damages we said, ‘Let’s make tank tops out of them or let’s make a tube dress,’ ” Jesse said about starting their repurposed line Snap back in 2002.
“We decided a long time ago to start repurposing in order to: a, keep it out of landfills; and b, generate another revenue stream.”
It’s a revenue stream that works for a few reasons.
“(It works) especially in Vancouver, where the cost of living is not cheap,” said Jesse. “Young people are looking to save a buck here and there but still look fashionable and unique. People don’t want to look like they just walked out of Abercrombie & Fitch. They want to have some kind of unique style and that’s very attainable when you are shopping vintage.”
So what’s hot in the cyclical world of vintage?
According to Jesse, the 1990s is the decade of choice right now.
So say hello to flannel and FUBU — with a repurposed twist, of course.