Stan Darke has a thing for vintage. It was very evident when I visited his fab shop, The Factory Tees (located at 10409 Main Street, Unit E, Fairfax, VA 22030 703-352- TEES <8337>). When I first walked in, I was in vintage euphoria. I love vintage clothes. So I was losing it a little. Unfortunately, these coke bottle hips make it hard for me to find things in my size. There was a fab yellow boucle skirt that had my name written all over it. But I digress.
The former 8th grade Art teacher and Virginia native, opened The Factory Tees late last year as an extension of his Burke print shop. "I wanted a place to sell my vintage-inspired tees but I knew that I needed to sell something else here," said Stan. "So I decided to add vintage clothes." There was a great mix of vintage dresses, skirts, and shoes for women and an amazing collection of leather jackets for men. There were also some amazing men's shirt and vintage tees. I totally fell in love with a vintage Betty Boop tee. The prices are right, too! The prices that vintage shoppers like myself truly appreciate.
But Darke definitely has a creative side. His collection of vintage-inspired tees would capture the hearts of any vintage tee lover. There were odes to Jimi Hendrix and the President with a funny "toke" tee from one of Obama's old pics that had recently surfaced. He definitely put his spin on it with one collection of tees especially. This collection actually has a screen-printed design that was first printed on fabric, cut out and then sewn onto a tee. Those were fabulous. I loved how he placed the design in unexpected areas of each tee. This gave this collection such a unique voice. I definitely hadn't seen anything like it before.
But my favorite collection of tees were his "Native Soul" collection. This collection celebrates America and patriotism in the coolest way. "Native Soul" was designed to be a big departure from the "run of the mill" tees sold down on the National Mall. Darke wanted to celebrate America in a way that was cool and modern. If you are looking to sport your love for our country, skip the National Mall and get over there and grab either the Statue of Liberty or Honest Abe and definitely the star design (created by one of employees) created using the shapes of each state. Loved it.
So if you need a vintage fix or looking for some fab vintage-inspired tees or need to have some tees printed, The Factory Tees is the place to go. View their fab and funny youtube video (Big Ed knows Vintage!) or their Facebook page, or visit The Factory Tees online. Of course, they are on Twitter, too.
