Springy Jeans | Life - Standard Online

Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:31 PM PDT

What was once a dream has turned into reality for Elijah Baig, a 5th year marketing major, and Sam Fuson, a junior fashion merchandising major. Together they co-own and operate an online vintage clothing company called "Springy Jeans."

The couple, both from Kansas City, Missouri, met and started dating after high school. As a way to spend time together, they would often thrift and browse garage sales.

Fuson wore a pair of Levi Jeans she had personally customized during sorority recruitment at Missouri State University her freshman year and had several people approach her asking where she bought them. After this, Baig came up with the idea to start selling customized vintage jeans.

Before Springy Jeans officially started, the couple would sell batches of jeans on the popular Facebook group "Missouri State Gals Sell Your Stuff."

"That was how we got discovered," Baig said.

Fuson said she eventually started an Instagram for Springy Jeans, but never could have anticipated the overwhelming demand.

"We had no idea what we were doing," Fuson said.

Baig went into college unsure of what he wanted to pursue, but said everything fell into place after Springy Jeans started. He said Springy Jeans laid the foundation to follow through with marketing, and he plans to keep developing Springy Jeans as a business after graduation.

"Being able to be your own boss is a life-changing experience," Baig said.

Fuson started at Missouri State in 2017 with an interest in nutrition. At the time, her declared major was exercise and movement science, but she said she didn't feel passionate about it. She switched to fashion merchandising after Springy Jeans took off.

"It's actually something I enjoy doing," Fuson said.

They started selling clothes out of their apartment, though later found out it was illegal, according to their lease.

Fuson said it was like a constant garage sale — people coming into their apartment and browsing their rack.

"We would have a ton of jeans and sell out of all of them in one night," Baig said.

Baig said as demand grew for their clothing, they felt compelled to develop Springy Jeans further. The couple decided to expand and offer their customers more than just jeans.

Even though it's still known as "Springy Jeans," the company now sells vintage T-shirts and crewnecks.

"We've dabbled in making our own T-shirts," Baig said. "We actually sold out of them at a pop-up."

Baig also revealed that Springy Jeans is planning to create their own line of jeans.

"We understand the fit people are going for," Fuson said, "and it would be cool to make (jeans) ourselves instead of buying them."

Springy Jeans carries sizes 23-43 and tries to stick to selling women's vintage jeans, simply because they're better tailored for women. Though Springy Jeans currently only sells womens' jeans, 80% of their other clothing is unisex.

Taylor Gerstenecker, junior elementary education major, follows Springy Jeans on Instagram and recently bought one of their vintage t-shirts.

She often replies to Springy Jeans' Instagram stories regarding items she's interested in.

"They've always messaged back within like five minutes," Gerstenecker said. "They have a really good selection. I like when they post their hauls of clothes they've found that day."

Gerstenecker said she hopes to see Springy Jeans do more pop-up shops. he said she prefers browsing clothing in person versus online.

Baig said they've been struggling to find venues for pop-ups but hope to do more in the near future.

Springy Jeans buys locally as well as nationwide. Both Baig and Fuson often go on trips to buy in bulk.

"We thrift, go to garage sales — anywhere we can find stuff," Fuson said.

Springfield makes up 20% of Springy Jeans followers, they also have a big following in various parts of California and Texas; 75 percent of their orders are now shipped.

Springy Jean's first customer outside of Springfield was from Canada.

"We remember being blow away that someone wanted what we were selling that wasn't here in town," Baig said. "It was a surreal moment."

As business demand continues to rise, the couple is excited for the future and hopes to one day open a brick and mortar store somewhere in Springfield.

Alex Prager's LA Dreaming - The New Yorker

Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:01 AM PDT

Prager does for photography what James Ellroy did for crime fiction, inventing a neo-noir L.A. vernacular that creates a feeling of the past without the limitations of historical accuracy. Her studio, in Silver Lake, is a storehouse for a vast collection of vintage clothing, newspapers, textiles, and objects whose obsolescence might otherwise have gone unnoticed—waxed-paper Coca-Cola cups, beach chairs with plastic webbing, suitcases without wheels, particular typefaces and patterns. Prager has immersed herself in the history of illusion in cinema and photography, and deploys in-camera effects, painted backdrops, stuntmen, set builders, and digital editing techniques, with often surreal results. A car that appears life-size might be a miniature, crafted by a special-effects artist, a profession that has itself been made antique by technology.

Last year, Prager published "Silver Lake Drive," her first monograph, and had her first solo retrospective, which included her first forays into film. She married her partner, the creative director Simon Dargan, and gave birth to a son. She thought about how Los Angeles had become glassier and less familiar to her, and experienced a nostalgia that she mistrusted even as it made itself known.