Hammer & Thread: Q&A with This Old Thing?

If this shirt by This Old Thing? was a guy, he'd be my perfect boyfriend. It's got all the characteristics I¹ve been looking for. Playful and bit serious, outdoorsy, crafty, old-school, boyish, twisted and good looking! When I stepped in Alter when it first opened, I had good feeling right away because the store was filled with this kind of plaid shirts. I asked very lovely Roy Caires & Tommy Cole, the creators of this attractive shirt called Hammer & Thread for a Q&A session.

Q1: What's the story behind Hammer & Thread series? What was the first shirt looked like?
We did the reconstructed plaid shirts a few years back, after we had done a whole series of reconstructed white collar shirts. We wanted to keep the shirt series going, but give it a new twist. The plaid flannel shirt was the obvious choice. We love mixing plaids and multiple colors. The first one we made, I kept, and still wear to this day. It was a really nice color plaid blend that we fitted to the body and gave it multiple collars and extra cuffs.
It's a good one.

Q2: Why "?"
We use the "?" in "This Old Thing?" because it completes the phrase. We think of This Old Thing? as a response to the question: "oh, I love what you're wearing, who makes it?" and you say: "oh, This Old Thing?". It's just a play on words and makes perfect sense for us because we work with the vintage/second hand clothing.

Q3: You guys also run the clothing store. As a buyer, what are your criteria for choosing the brand/designers to carry in your store?
Roy and I have a lot of retail experience (almost 20 years between the two of us) so we just have a good eye for colors, fits, and price points that work. I like clothing that has a good story... makes it more fun to sell.

Q4: How did you guys meet?
Roy and I met at Mass College of Art in 1999 back in Boston, MA. We both worked retail to support ourselves through college. Roy finished with a B.A. in Fashion Design, winning the "designer of the year" award 3 out of 4 years. I (on the other-hand) dropped out after one year. In 2003 we both moved to NY(separately) and were reunited by NY fate (bumping into each other on the street in SoHo) and eventually deciding to start a business together. This Old Thing? was born in the summer of 2004.

Q5: Any fashion designers you love?
We really like Martin Margiela. His work is stunning and inspiring to us. We also love the guerilla tactics of Comme De Garcons, and the breath-taking slickness of Heidi Slimane.

Q6: What are you wearing today?
At the moment I am sitting in my underwear because it's really hot in here. Normally I wear a mix of vintage pieces, our own designs, and really cunty designer items that we have acquired over the years.

Q7: Any new style you'd like to try?
I dream of wearing fully tailored suits and nice leather shoes every single day, with top hats and gorgeous umbrellas. For now I am in a garage/glam, Brooklyn's finest kind of look.

Q8: Have you been on diet? What's your opinion about it?
Diets are really odd to me. I just don't eat things that are really fatty and gross, and try to take vitamins when I remember. When I go to europe I wonder why Americans can't get their shit together. Europeans are all perfectly shaped and styled (and they still get to drink and smoke).

Q9: What's your favorite hangout spot?
We hang out at our store Alter a lot. We love having parties with our friends and customers. Everyone gets along really well, and everyone has fun with the clothing (and the endless amount of champagne we provide!). We can also be seen at Coco66 and Pencil Factory in Greenpoint regularly.

Q10: Tell me about your customers
Kip from TV on The Radio comes in once in a while. I like him a lot. He's very chill and polite. I like almost all of the people who come through. We have made some really great friends and hope to meet lots more. Our first customer was a guy who lives down the street, we call him #1!

See more Hammer & Thread series.

Visit Alter for purchasing This Old thing? and the other cute indie labels hand picked by Roy and Tommy.