26 / 02 / 2015

Interview with Passenger

My first vintage piece was bought for me by my dad (what a champ!). It was a brown New Zealand lamb suede jacket, beautifully soft from years of love and wear, its lining still in mint condition, complete with a contrast leather collar. It was the business. It was also ten sizes too big for me. But I loved it. Dad did too, he was probably sucked in by the memories of sweet French girls wandering home in their boyfriends jackets, whereas I was swept away in a 70s dream, hoping to one day resemble the likes of Stevie Nicks. The beauty with this jacket is that I actually wear it now more than I ever have (highly due to the fact that it now fits me), and it’s still going strong. Good vintage and proper classics were made to last, both physically and aesthetically.

I was recently lucky enough to chat to Candace Shane, owner and founder of L.A.-based vintage store Passenger: A studio space that offers a beautifully curated range of hand-picked vintage pieces, found along the way on their many road trips across the US, by Candace and her partner Tommy. After creating wish lists of Passenger finds the length of my arm, I asked Candace about her own personal stand-out vintage finds, she chats about her love of psych, and local musing at the grocery store…

—————–

Where are you based? What drew you to move here?

We are located in Los Angeles, California. I had been wanting to move here for years…I draw a lot of my inspiration from the ocean and the sun. When the right time presented itself to work independently, we made the move. I love the community here. It feels like the right fit on many levels.

And where are some of your favourite local spots?

Point Dume, Malibu
The Santa Monica mountains

Sounds beautiful, LA must be such a great place to adventure from! And so when you travel, where you like to visit…?

Anywhere a strong sense of culture and art are present. I like vibrant cities with energy in the air. My favorite trips however, are ones where I go off the beaten path and can really explore the landscape on my own. I live for those moments you turn down a random road and stumble upon some unexpected natural beauty and are able to connect with it.

I saw a picture on Instagram of a very yummy-looking space, is this your home? What do you guys love to do here?

Home is a creative sanctuary for me. I work from home so I require the space to be both uplifting and peaceful. I like my spaces to feel open and airy which aides in generating ideas. Large windows and plenty of natural light are a must. I like to start my day with plenty of coffee and/or a morning meditation on my back deck which overlooks the mountains.

You must have an amazing collection of personal vintage pieces. When did you start collecting vintage pieces?

Between the two of us, I’d say it’s been about 15 years. My partner, Tommy, actually owns a vintage clothing store just outside of Detroit that I have been shopping in for over a decade, long before we ever met. My background is in art and fashion. Through my teens and early 20s I was obsessed with photography and all forms of visual art. I’d style my friends in pieces I loved and shoot them both outdoors and in the small studio I created in my basement. A good day was shooting 3 rolls of 35mm film in some beautiful place I’d found while driving around exploring. This experience is what I truly find to be the base of Passenger. How I portray the brand really is an off shoot or extension of the look and feel of that time in my life. I still consider those prints to be some of my best work.

How did this lead into starting Passenger?

Passenger really has been years in the making! I knew at some point in my life I would own my own business whether it be a physical store front or make it happen via freelance work. I wasn’t sure how it would manifest but I knew something of my own creation was brewing. It truly came in to fruition however, last year while on a southwest road trip through New Mexico and Arizona. Tommy and I were in the midst of a long distance relationship between Detroit where he lived, and Philadelphia, where I lived at the time. I had been working for Barneys New York for about 7 years and was ready for a new challenge. On that trip I decided I was ready to get the ball rolling and pitched the idea of creating something new together. The pieces from my personal wardrobe and the mens pieces he had been collecting became the start of the brand. The aesthetic and direction were simple, we would sell the pieces we personally loved, staying true to a small collection of pieces we would want to wear. 3 months later I quit my job, we sold a house, a 74′ ford pick up truck and various other belongings and made the move.

Where do you source your pieces from? Any stand-out vintage finds in the past?

We find many of our pieces on the road… We can’t give away all our secrets! Our favorites have been pre 60s natural fibers and /or pieces with a lot of love and wear to them.

I’m highly curious to know what some of your own personal wardrobe favourites are?

I lean towards “less is more” these days. I like easy pieces that feel good on the body. I pay attention to shape and silhouette and prefer garments that allow movement. I generally go for things that feel effortless, I don’t wear anything too structured. We both love denim and our jacket collections are pretty impressive..

Any vintage muses you’re always crushing on? Who would be your current style muse?

Honestly no. I could name a dozen people I find to be inspiring but the bulk of my inspiration comes from what I see in my day to day life. I am very observant. Sometimes my muse is the girl at the grocery store.

Any current designers that you have your eye on?

I love Black Crane.

What is playing on your radio/record player/i-Pod at the moment?

Music is such an important part of our lives. We have a very extensive record collection ranging from ’60s/’70s psych, rock and soul to ’80s and ’90s new wave and grunge. My music changes daily on my mood. I’m listening to George Harrison at the moment, he’d be 72 today!

And lastly, what is coming up for Passenger this year that you’re excited about?

More travels! We have two big shows we are participating in this Spring, A Current Affair and Mercado Sagrado. Afterward we hope to do some international traveling!

—————-