Design Archives opened on Sept 1, 2001. I can’t believe it, but I have survived for ten years! There have been a couple of moves, which is major for a vintage store because there are tons and tons of inventory that can quickly accumulate. The best thing is YOU the customer….because of your love, we have survived in this tough decade and we will continue for at least another ten years…..in our new incarnation we have added the Emporium, a building leased to vendors to stock with their OWN vintage and handmade products. Guess what? Tonight I am gonna get it together……time allowing….. and add some photos from the past 10 years and this weekend I am going to add some photos of the current space …….Thank You for 10 wonderful years!!!xoxo

My 2nd birthday, hanging dolly's clothes on a tree in my backyard in Germany...I have been hanging clothes daily since then

Welcome to Design Archives first blog post, which will be a wee bit stained and perhaps a teensy bit wrinkled, but all that will get cleaned up and ironed out over time; just like the vintage inventory that is lovingly stocked on racks and shelves and in drawers. This blog will attempt to capture some of the memorable moments in the days of the Vintage Shop on S. Elm St. in Greensboro NC. While doing so the owner, who would be me, will often reminisce and may sometimes embellish, but in general the truth is often stranger than fiction…

Who am I? I began my career as a fashion designer. There is much to tell about myself, and I don’t want to bore you with details, or spill it all out in my first blog, but briefly I was born in Germany on top of American soil and raised in the south on Chef Boy R Dee, which could account for some of my Randomness….

I own rescued doglets, two poodles and two chihuahuas, and I have three adult children. I spend the majority of my time either on the computer or in my shop. I adore my customers and I abhor shoplifters. My shop was borne out of my love for textiles and my desire to capture and keep a little bit of our fashion history before it completely disappears.

Discovering an interesting closet gives me great joy, as I try to unravel the details of the owners life. Just like an old sweater that is now full of holes….that life had worth and there are stories to tell, from behind those closet doors!

Enjoy!

On the 15th of November 2008, Kelly Cox who is a fashion designer herself, took some unsold and unwanted clothing and made them into something new. Then on a Saturday evening the Design Archives store hosted her first fashion show – Nouveau upcycled Vintage…

Below is a series of video clips from the show that night.

Additionally Kelly was featured in the Greensboro News-Record.

A snippet from the article:

“…In Cox’s hands, an entire line of clothing has been revived. What was once relinquished by others – an old quilt, worn pillowcases, outdated men’s dress shirts – are now modern garments that appeal to women her age.

Skirts and dresses were fashioned from pillowcases and vintage buttons. She made a halter top from a man’s dress shirt, circa 1970 . She altered a leotard – who wears those now? -and added fabric from other dresses to create a short dress. Her favorite in the collection is a silky gray, pink and cream striped dress. She added a gathered peplum to the front of it for a layered or tiered skirt effect. Vintage red buttons were added for details.

“It’s very flattering on because it creates an hourglass figure,” the diminutive Cox says.

Take a stroll through Design Archives with her and you’ll start to see outdated clothing differently. Even a dress from the ’80s – one with shoulder pads and sleeves that poof out like lamp shades – can be restructured.

An oversize, cowl-neck purple sweater looks like something Jennifer Beals might have worn over a leotard in the movie “Flashdance.” But it’s a great color – a deep purple, like the children’s character Barney. Cox, who enrolled in UNCG initially as an art major, is attracted to garments with vivid colors.

If the sweater were taken in to better fit the female figure, it would be more updated. Remove the sleeves and shorten it, and it could be a vest.

“I really like clothing, and I really feel like there’s something interesting about vintage because (of) its history,” Cox says.

The older a garment, the more imperfect its condition. But that’s part of its appeal, Cox says. Worn fabric, tiny holes and sun stains don’t deter her. She can hide or cover the holes. Sometimes a discoloration can add an interesting pattern to a garment.

“I kind of feel like the people who are going to buy this stuff are going to have an appreciation for vintage stuff,” Cox says.

Design Archives is a giant treasure chest for someone like her. She became a store regular through friends. “We would go, and we would spend hours and hours literally trying on everything,” she says.

Cox’s mother taught her to sew and encouraged her interest in fashion. But it was Design Archives owner Kit Rodenbough who is responsible for her foray into upcycled vintagewear.
Rodenbough, a lifelong vintage-clothing collector, says Cox reminds her of herself at that age. In fact, Cox was just hired to design children’s wear for Bonaventure, a company Rodenbough worked for about 30 years ago.

» Full article

VIDEO:

Kit and the staff of Design Archives were on the WFMY NEWS 2 The Good Morning show on November 12th, 2007. Rosemary Plybon visited the store to look at the fashions from the 1950′s…

A local news station – CBS affiliate WFMY NEWS 2 – has an early morning show which in 2007 celebrated 50 years on the air.

Rosemary Plybon – a co-anchor on the Good Morning Show visited Kit Rodenbough, the owner of the Design Archives store, to look at fashions from the 1950′s. Below are the two segments aired on the program, first broadcast on Monday 12 November 2007.

Kit and Rosemary talk about clothing worn back then and the Design Archives staff modelled some clothing.

Part 1 »

Part 2 »