Q&A with Ben Novick, Owner of Curated Rags: Vintage Art Shirts and More
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We sat down with Ben Novick, the owner of Curated Rags, to talk about how he got started, his focus on vintage art tees, and the world of vintage clothing.
Q: How did Curated Rags get started? Was there a specific moment or item that sparked the idea?
A: Technically, it started when I was at UMass Amherst and was buying and selling items from thrift stores to sell to Mass Vintage. There was a point where I had items that were good enough that I didn't want to wholesale them but didn't have an easy way to sell them other than eBay or Depop. A friend suggested I make an Instagram page, and that's how the name Curated Rags came about, which was the birth of it. As a larger business, it really started over Covid by buying and selling tees online and doing live auctions through Instagram.
If there was one item that sparked the idea when I was in college, it was a Norman Rockwell triple self-portrait t-shirt that my buddy, Jeff, bought at the thrift store. My parents are both artists, so I had a background knowledge of art. Seeing that shirt made me realize the possibilities of selling vintage t-shirts that were art t-shirts.
Q: What drew you specifically to art T-shirts as a focus within the broader vintage market?
A: Besides my background with both parents being artists, I was drawn to the uniqueness of the shirts. With other areas, like band tees, you see the same shirts over and over again. With art tees, I'm looking for the most unique and rare things. My customers are looking for the rare and unique items they can't get anywhere else, and they are willing to pay the most for that.
Even after selling thousands of vintage art t-shirts, I still see shirts I've never seen before almost every day. Having a base of knowledge about artists helps in valuing these shirts, especially when a shirt from an artist that people don't usually see t-shirts of pops up. My advantage comes from understanding how popular an artist is in the art world and comparing them to artists with established records of how much their t-shirts sell for.
Q: Who are some of the lesser-known artists or designs you think people should be paying attention to in the vintage world?
A: I think David Hockney is a good example. Other artists like Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, and Richard Prince are ones to pay attention to. These are often more contemporary artists. The common thread is that they are artists where there seems to be a disconnect between their popularity in the art world and the number of vintage t-shirts produced. For example, David Hockney is very popular in the art world, but it's difficult to find vintage t-shirts of his work. This contrasts with someone like William Wegman, where there are many t-shirts available, even though David Hockney is a more popular artist.
Q: How do you research or authenticate obscure art tees when information is scarce?
A: If I see a t-shirt from an artist I haven't seen before but know who they are, that gives me a base for how much to pay and sell it for. If I don't know who the artist is, I just look things up. For artists with less significance in the art world, it's often more about the look of the shirt. The graphic appearance is very important. While provenance and historical connection are great, sometimes the look is what matters most, like the initial reaction you have to the work. However, having a shirt from an established artist whose work is in museums does give a level of confidence and legitimizes it more to me.
Q: Do art T-shirts attract a different kind of buyer or collector compared to band tees?
A: There is definitely overlap, as some people just collect t-shirts generally and might get into art tees after being introduced to vintage through other categories like band tees. But I do think art t-shirts attract a different type of buyer. Many people who buy from me specifically collect vintage art t-shirts.
Art t-shirts have a level of wearability that might be more than other categories. Some people find them classier. You might be able to wear a vintage Monet t-shirt to your grandmother's house, but maybe not an Ozzy Osbourne shirt.
There's also a huge international audience for art t-shirts. The Asian buyer base, particularly in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, is significant. The trends of what is popular in the U.S. are often driven by the Japanese market, and art t-shirts seem to be becoming more popular in Japan.
Q: What's your personal favorite tee you've owned or sold, and do you regret letting any go?
A: I definitely have shirts I regret selling. My favorite shirt is a test print t-shirt from a company called Only Once, which was primarily an art t-shirt company from Vermont. Test prints are unique shirts used in print shops to test different graphics, often resulting in a single shirt with multiple prints. My favorite has graphics from a photographer I've never seen other shirts from, as well as prints of a Paul Klee painting and a Salvador Dali parody. I had been aware of this shirt for 5-7 years before I was able to buy it from a friend.
Another favorite I own and probably won't sell is a Vivian Westwood Sex Pistols t-shirt from 1977 bought from the original owner at the boutique.
Two shirts I regret selling are one by the artist Sol LeWitt (though I never would have worn it) and a t-shirt featuring a painting by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. The Arcimboldo shirt depicted a face made of vegetables and was from an artist I was exposed to in elementary school. It didn't fit me, but I think about it often. Sometimes, the longer time passes after selling a unique shirt you haven't seen again, the more you want it back. Regrets happen when dealing with unique items.
Q: What's your sourcing process like? Do you rely more on online leads, in-person buying, or networking?
A: A lot of my sourcing comes from networking, both in person and online. My business is seen as the "art t-shirt guy," so people who find relevant items or other dealers with them often send me pictures. People selling items from their personal collection also often reach out to me. This networking part of sourcing is very important.
I buy a lot online because art t-shirts are rare and can't easily be found by just visiting local vintage stores. While I do buy in person at markets, the majority of art tees I acquire are bought online. For other types of vintage clothing I sell (jackets, sweatshirts, pants), I source more in person from dealers, yard sales, estate sales, and thrift stores.
Q: Do you think it's still possible to score a "grail" for cheap?
A: Yes, I think it's pretty much always possible to score a grail for cheap. Knowledge is the most important thing in the game. However, even experienced people make mistakes, sometimes selling something for too little or asking too much. Vintage valuation can be subjective, and different people have different markets.
Especially at yard sales, flea markets, and estate sales, the sellers often don't have the same level of knowledge as professional vintage dealers. There are definitely cases where people online price an item way too low because they don't know what they have, and that's where knowledge is key.
Q: How has Instagram helped shape your brand and connect you with customers?
A: Instagram is an instrumental part of my business. It's a huge connection point for people within the vintage community. Instead of individually contacting collectors, I can post publicly, making it easy and streamlined to share information about drops and items with everyone interested. I've met many people through Instagram with whom I do great business. It's a big meeting place for buying and selling vintage.
Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to find a specialty lane in vintage?
A: It's ultimately about what you like and are passionate about. You need to be willing to put in the time and effort to learn about that specific lane. Also, your specialty is reliant on your access to source those kinds of items in the first place. You can't specialize in something you can't find or buy. So, a specialty is very knowledge-dependent and heavily reliant on sourcing opportunities.
Q: What trends are you seeing in the art tee space, and are they gaining traction?
A: Art tees in general are gaining more traction. One specific trend I've seen develop, especially over the last year or two, is that clothing splattered with paint is really sought after. For art t-shirts, it makes thematic sense and fits the vibe. People are looking for paint-splattered items, and sometimes it's easier to sell a shirt with cool paint splatters than a clean one because it's more unique and has a level of authenticity that people like. Things that are nicely paint-splattered can sell for as much, if not more, than deadstock items. People buying vintage appreciate character and history, not just perfection.
Q: Where do you see Curated Rags heading in the next few years?
A: I'm always looking for collaborations but am selective. I'm trying to increase the amount of drops I do. I also focus on presenting the best possible items for my customers and finding the rarest stuff I can. I do pop-ups fairly often. In general, the goal is more drops and more t-shirts.
Q: Do you see yourself opening a retail store, or will you continue selling online?
A: I really like selling online and doing pop-ups. Opening a retail store is something I've thought about, but it's a massive undertaking to do on your own. If I were to do it, I would probably want it to be a collective store with multiple people involved to share the burden. It's a serious amount of work that I'm not sure I'm ready for solo.
Q: If you could do a curated exhibit or gallery around vintage art tees, what would the theme be?
A: I think a focus on vintage photography t-shirts would be really cool. It's a category that has been a little underappreciated but includes some of the best-looking t-shirts out there. Photography t-shirts definitely deserve recognition.
Q: Any other advice for someone looking to get into vintage clothing?
A: The best advice is to buy what you like. Knowledge is important, but often your gut reaction to how much you like something is a great indicator of its value.
We greatly appreciated the time Ben took out of his busy schedule to sit down and talk with us. Please show Ben and his business, Curated Rags, some support by following him on Instagram, @curatedrags, and check ing out his website, https://curatedrags.com/.