what is funky rugged streetwear and why would we know

I didn't get a lot of cool new clothes growin' up in the 90s from all those realllllllllly cool clothing brands like: esprit, Benetton, Guess, ADRIENNE VITTADINI - ohh the cute, the soft and comfy, the crisp, fresh and clean, and the oh so cool look of it all 

When living in Sydney, Australia for a year, I had to up my fashion game, and became obsessed with vintage finds in stinky stores, as the best way - by searching through hundreds of other stinky clothes - to find bargain and/or unique classics

Think: a delicate hand-embroidered antique-white linen blouse, the perfect-fitting 70s tree-trunk brown, straight-legged corduroys or the like-new 50s woven wicker handbag with the pineapple-shaped gold-plated clasp and the bright, bubblegum-pink satin lining. 

Sometimes, vintage stores are like gold-mines.

If I am to be honest, I'd spend a fortune at these 'discount stores' and like any addiction, the more you score, the more you want more

Nowadays, however, vintage stores operate like a income-earning commodity, and unless they are run by a community non-profit, they charge an-arm-and-a-leg for their curated finds

And why shouldn't they? They're the ones goin' through all that stinky clothes (Which begs the question: why are vintage stores so stinky?? We'll leave that for another day)

Now vintage costs more than brand new, which is design-copied, mass produced and flyin' off their sweatshop factory shelves so are, literally, cheaper than chips, un-inspiring, feels like plastic and doesn't last a year

But I still like my clothes! 

Clothes are a part of our identity, and we wanted something funky, with a vintage feel, but clean and fresh.

We print-on-demand, which means that we only make a product only once it is ordered. Not with a warehouse full of stock sitting around

This is better for the earth and those who make the products, and can be sold at a fair price unlike over-priced designer clothes that cost the same to make as the knock-off

Cue 25 years later, and now we are making our own funky designs, for clothes we want to wear.

Sure it's not hand-embroidered tops and tailor-fitted pants, but it still has that old skool vibe we are craving.

If you haven't met us yet, welcome to the funky crew

We're glad your on board the soul train, and hope to see you again @funk_and_fina