All Things Vintage: How to Date Vintage
You’ve FINALLY found that 90s band t-shirt you’ve been looking for forever. And at a great price. But... how do you know if it’s really vintage – or just a reprint that counterfeiters are currently flooding the internet with? Here are five clues to help you figure it out!
1. Copyright
First, you can check the t-shirt for a license print: On graphic shirts, these are often small and located next to the print. Check here to see if there’s a year and a “C” [©] in the license line. Also, look out for spelling mistakes: For example, if a rare Akira shirt has “Akira Commiffee” instead of “Akira Committee” in the license print, the shirt is guaranteed to be a fake. Counterfeiters often use visually similar words so that our brains trick us into seeing the word we expect or hope for when reading quickly.
For vintage items without graphics, you might also find a year or the copyright “C” on the neck tag. Please note: In both cases, the years don’t necessarily refer to the year the item was manufactured. Items from the trading card game “Yu-Gi-Oh!” are always marked with “1996”, for example. However, the year here refers to the year Yu-Gi-Oh! first applied for a copyright. The more pieces you encounter, the better you’ll get a feel for this.
2. Size Tags
“Size Tags” are the size labels sewn into the neck of tops. Speaking of ‘sewn in’: If the size information is printed or flocked onto the neck, the top is guaranteed not to be vintage – printed sizes have only been around since the 2010s.
But back to real size tags: It’s not just about a possible copyright or a year (usually hidden on the back or another tag), but also the label itself. Every major company produced its own size tags, and there are already some overviews online – the so-called “Size Tag Guides”. You can find them via Google Image Search: For example, type “Adidas Size Tag 90s” and you’ll find a legend showing when the sportswear manufacturer used which label.
What also helps is to look for similar items in trustworthy online shops: When major sellers like Round Two, For All To Envy, or us at Double Double have listed a vintage piece of clothing, it has always been checked and verified as genuine vintage. Conveniently, a corresponding photo of the (authentic) tag is always included.
3. “Made in...” & Material
When comparing size tags, you might notice that the production sites of some brands have changed over time: “Made in USA” may have at some point given way to “Made in Mexico” or “Made in China”. Over time, you’ll develop a feel for which period a brand produced in which country. Fake vintage shirts often overlook such details: For example, a “Made in USA” size tag is sewn into every shirt that pretends to be from the early 90s. So, it’s worth comparing the size tags carefully (as described in point 2).
But: Even with genuine vintage tags, there are exceptions and deviations, because sometimes there were factories in several locations at the same time. Just because you’ve seen a certain sweater with “Made in USA” doesn't mean it can’t also have a tag à la “Made in Honduras”.
The material composition of vintage pieces, e.g., “100% Cotton”, is similarly ambivalent. This information is often found on the size tag or the ‘wash care’ tag (on the inside of shirts). While t-shirts before the early 90s were primarily made with “Cotton Blend”, i.e., a mixture of cotton and polyester, almost only 100% cotton is produced today. However, the emphasis is on “almost”: Manufacturers sometimes used old shirt blanks with cotton blend for printing even in the late 90s (or later). So, if a t-shirt is labeled “Cotton Blend”, it doesn’t necessarily mean it was produced before the 90s.
4. Single Stitch vs. Double Stitch
Another indicator of a T-shirt's age can be its seams. The sleeve ends and hem of T-shirts were primarily sewn with only one seam from (approx.) 1970 to (approx.) 1995: this is called “Single Stitch”.
If you’re currently wearing a T-shirt from the last 20 years, take a look at the two seams mentioned: In all likelihood, it will have two rows of stitching next to each other. This type of construction gradually replaced “Single Stitch” in the mid-90s. The explanations for this change vary: Some say that two seams were necessary to compensate for inferior cotton. Others argue that double stitching makes a shirt more durable.
The fact is: “Single Stitch” can be a good indicator of a shirt’s age – but it doesn’t have to be. Why is that? Firstly, there are occasionally (authentic) T-shirts from the 70s and 80s with two seams. Secondly, shirts from all decades of “Single Stitch” sometimes have a single seam on the sleeve, but “Double Stitch” on the hem. Or vice versa. And to complicate matters even further, counterfeiters are now making their aged-look shirts with only one seam again: they too have realized that they can pass off a new shirt as vintage using “Single Stitch”.
The Big “But”: Context is Key!
As explained above, a close look at the following four points helps: Copyright, Size Tag, the additional information “Made in...” plus material, and the seams. However, there are exceptions for all of them. For a double-stitched T-shirt, for example, it becomes difficult if all the labels have been cut out.
Some shirts also don’t have a copyright because they are bootlegs – i.e., shirts that someone printed without permission (e.g., from Madonna). These bootleg shirts are not original products, but can still be ‘original’ from the 80s – in contrast to today’s fake “Vintage Madonna” shirts, which neither have Madonna’s license nor are actually old.
What should you do then? Fundamentally, context is key. This includes where a piece of clothing was found: You should always be cautious with faceless, anonymous sellers on public online marketplaces. If the price is too good to be true, it's better to inquire or steer clear – especially with eBay users who have few reviews. It’s a bit different with the nice old lady at the flea market.
It also helps tremendously to familiarize yourself with the subject matter: What was the color aesthetic like at the time of the piece you're looking for? Which fonts only became popular later? Looking at other clothes from that era helps with both questions. For the band shirt mentioned above, it also helps to get to know the band well: Was a photo used on the supposed "Mid 90s Tupac Shirt" that was only released after his death in 1996? Then the shirt was produced later. Instagram accounts like @doctorfugazi also help, as they regularly provide updates on new fakes in circulation.
What also helps, of course: shop directly from trustworthy vintage stores – we know of a store in Mannheim, for example ;)
PS: Do you have any other tips on how to distinguish real vintage from fake? Then please leave us a comment!
