Instead of waiting for customers to come to Relic Clothing, Relic Clothing goes to customers.
Setting up shop in a white, decked-out camper that’s plastered with the colorful earth-shaped Relic Clothing logo outlined in a retro ‘70s striped design, when you walk into Relic Clothing, you’re entering a world of nostalgia.
“I feel like the whole entire thing behind the camper is built to be a time traveling machine,” says owner and founder of Relic Clothing Reinaldo Contreras III.
Earlier this year, while coming back from Totally Rad Vintage Fest in Detroit, Contreras was in an accident that left Relic Clothing’s camper demolished. Now, six months after the accident, Relic Clothing has expanded with a bigger camper, leaving more space for more product and experiences.
“It's built to take you back to your old days when you were a kid or a teenager," he says. “It's built to bring those nostalgic feelings back to you. We created this experience on wheels.”
When you first step foot in Relic Clothing, you’re welcomed by nostalgic memorabilia like an old Sony PlayStation, a dressing room, posters plastered across the camper walls and green, red and orange retro ‘70s swirls painted across the floor.
A Lorain native, Contreras’ interest in fashion and expressing himself through clothes began at a young age. Contreras can remember his friends and family knowing that his sense of style was more exclusive than the average person.
“I was that one [kid] in school that was kind of pushing the boundaries in fashion and just expressing [myself] in general,” he recalls.
Relic Clothing started out as an idea in 2014, after Contreras discovered thrifting and started buying his own clothes. He found thrifted shirts were higher quality and less expensive than shirts he’d get at a typical brick-and-mortar store.
In 2017, Relic Clothing had its first pop-up show at a vintage bar for friends to show up and support and spread the word. From that point on, Relic Clothing hosted pop-ups in cities across Ohio including Amherst, Lakewood and Downtown Cleveland, including at this year’s MGK Day weekend-long festivities. It’s also expanded out-of-state in cities such as Detroit, Atlanta and Pittsburgh.
But Relic Clothing’s reputation goes beyond clothes, as its creative content helps it stand out from other vintage shops. And with that, Contreras hopes to secure sponsors and continue to enhance the camper.
“People just want to come inside because they see how cool it is outside,” Contreras says. “I’ve had people crying in my camper, I’ve had people smile so big in my camper. It’s a good experience for everyone.”
Find more details about the shop at its Instagram, @relicclothing.
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