While Oxford Academy isn’t exactly known for the peaks of fashion (moreso polo shirts, uniform-approved outerwear, and slim-fit khakis), junior Jordi Romero breaks out of this woefully unstylish stereotype. Expanding beyond the average humble Depop user clearing out one’s closet, Romero owns and founded Rome’s Vintage (@romes.vintage on Instagram), where he sources, curates, and resells authentic vintage clothing, ranging from Harley Davidson outerwear to stylish denim.
“I was interested in clothes and wanted to dress better personally. And then I just started going deeper; obviously you start thrifting, you start doing everything. And then [thrifting] just plays a big role. Eventually it just got really addicting,” Romero said.
With music being a big part of his inspiration, Romero cites his clothing inspiration from 70s, 80s, and 90s bands. His passion led to his interest in actually sourcing the vintage clothes themselves from thrift and consignment stores such as Goodwill bins, Poshmark, Mercari, and more. Curating these pieces by hand led Romero to resell them, particularly online and at popular Orange County and Los Angeles markets. Some of these events include Rose Bowl Flea, Soulreal Market, and Long Beach Flea. Charging up to $200 a day for vendors, these markets are famously fashionable and well-known to local teenagers and young adults, making them a desirable target market. On average, Romero earns more than $40 daily.
As his business expanded, he set his sights on selling larger volumes of clothing, including sourcing from ‘rag houses’ that sell large quantities of clothing in bales. Unlike consignment and thrift stores such as Goodwill, Salvation Army or independently owned second-hand shops, rag houses are not open to the typical consumer and are an exclusive key to the vintage fashion industry, offering clothing by weight to be sorted through. These large wholesalers of vintage clothing were only available to Romero through connections he made while vendoring.
“So for me, it was really difficult to make connections with people. It’s really exclusive because when you go, you have to spend a lot and you have to know people who work there,” Romero said.
While initially Romero had been scared of spending ambitiously on inventory and had struggled with self-confidence, he was able to pull through his mental doubts and turn his thrifting hobby into a worthwhile business.
“Honestly, just be yourself…everyone can express themselves through their style. At the end of the day, a lot of modern clothes take inspiration from vintage clothing, so all different styles kind of connect back to my niche,” Romero said.
Though he first started with only four racks of clothing, Romero aspires to expand the volume of apparel he sells and operate his own brick-and-mortar storefront for consignment clothing in the future. As for now, he continues to curate clothing for thrifting and sale.
“I’m just working on consistency. Just being able to expand and see how much inventory I have…making it bigger. I want to have my own tiny community with it,” said Romero.
For aspiring vintage-only warriors or just people who want to dress better for themselves, look no further than Oxford’s very own curated clothing business, Rome’s Vintage.
