Halifax Clothing Store Offers A ‘Rad’ Way To Enjoy A Nostalgic Decade
HALIFAX–It’s no secret that a lot of people don’t love what the 2020s have brought us.
Literally two and a half months into this new decade, the world was given a pandemic and all the restrictions that came with it. Two years later there still seems to be no end in sight.
Under the circumstances, nostalgia for previous decades has probably never been higher. Luckily, one Halifax entrepreneur is selling that feeling of nostalgia in style.
Liam Archibald, who is originally from Antigonish, has been a serious collector of vintage clothing for a long time. In 2020, while living in Kelowna B.C., he decided to turn that collection into a business called Thirdhand Threads.
“I was often going to thrift stores and buying things for myself and my collection just started to get so big that I decided to turn it into a bit of a side hustle,” he said.
“A lot of my passion for retro clothing is nostalgia; growing up in those early 90s days. I don’t remember them too vividly but going back and seeing photos (inspire me).”
Archibald particularly enjoys collecting fashions that were in style between 1985-95.
“I jokingly like to call it the rad decade,” Liam says with a laugh. “Loud clothing, shoulder pads were very much the thing back in that era.”
After moving to Halifax a year ago, Archibald officially registered Thirdhand Threads as a business. This winter, the online clothing store is offering a totally tubular way to enjoy the ski slopes.
Archibald has a passion for skiing and, not surprisingly, vintage ski clothing. Over the years he has collected several bright, neon-coloured, one-piece snowsuits. Now, he is renting them out to anyone who wants to show off their inner radness while shredding the slopes.
His snowsuits got some special attention last week when Thirdhand Threads found its way onto many Haligonians’ Instagram feeds. Since then, Archibald has been getting inquiries about rentals.
Finding these vintage snowsuits that were in good condition was no easy task. One came from his mother and dates back to the late 80s. Another was acquired when Archibald reached out to a seniors ski club in the off-chance someone had a bright, 90s-esq, snowsuit laying around (feeling old yet, fellow 90s kids?). Sure enough, someone had one he was willing to donate.
But there’s one special snowsuit that Archibald won’t be renting. It has the same colour scheme as the Thirdhand Threads logo: pink with black paint splatter, along with some neon green.
Even more important is the person who wears this particular snowsuit.
“I have a vintage clothing ambassador. He’s an alter ego of mine, his name is Shades,” said Archibald. “It’s very 90s. I won’t be renting that one out because that one’s too special and it’s part of Shades’ identity.”
Right now, most of Thirdhand Threads’ customers are people who are unironically into 80s and 90s fashions. But the pandemic has likely taken away a big group of patrons: those who are looking to attend a decade-themed party, such as a bar hosting an 80s night.
For two years there has been very little partying due to Covid-19 and gathering limits. Archibald had a few inquiries this past Halloween, but little else on the costume front.
But Archibald gets the most joy from the customers who are looking to reconnect with an era that contains a lot of good memories.
“I like to keep track of what people are interested in and if I can find that exact piece for that person, that’s my ideal find; something that someone has direct connection to and there’s a strong sense of nostalgia.”
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].