We admire anyone who has a look, and whose approach to fashion is as obsessive as ours. In this new column we ask OC friends and family to let us rifle through their collections and celebrate their hoarding situations.
An avid clothing archivist, Paul Bryant has always been the perfect candidate for this column, the question was, which collection should we share? After much subway deliberation (Paul and I are neighbors), we settled on his 80s skate gear archive. Heading up product development at Patrik Ervell, Paul devotes his spare time to scouring the country and the world for rare and perfect pieces and other ephemera. Brayden and I watched in wonder as Paul pulled out tens of button-downs, T-shirts, caps, and old Thrasher magazines from under his staircase, storage boxes, and closet.
All photos by Brayden Olson
Eighties skate gear is honest clothing to me.
I own a couple hundred vintage pieces.
I also collect: 60s/70s outdoor gear, 90s streetwear, mail order catalogs, and random ephemera.
At the moment, I'm wearing: these 80s neoprene wetsuit shorts. I like to wear them on the street with more contemporary high-fashion and technical pieces. It's an interesting proposition.
My favorite piece of all my collections is: A Patrik Ervell hand-painted silk mid-century shirt. The shirt will hold up on its own for decades to come—even to those who are unfamiliar with the brand. Knowing the process behind the shirt's design and development firmly cements my love for it. I see it representing another chapter in the history of the Hawaiian shirt.
How does your vintage collecting inform your role at Patrik Ervell? Much in the same way an architect studies buildings: I look to my archive as a library of construction techniques, material composition, and ideas related to silhouette.
The first piece in my collection was: An original Public Enemy tour shirt that I bought in high school.
The weirdest place I ever found a piece was: Off some older guy's back out west. He was wearing a Rocky Mountain Featherbed all-leather vest with a shearling collar. He had owned it since the 70s.
In a fire, I would save my life first. After that, a needlepoint belt my grandmother made for my grandfather. He wore it just about every day.
My favorite piece is: A store display model of a brown label North Face VE-24 tent from the 70s. The design was heavily inspired by Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome and is probably the most commercial application of his idea.
My skating hero is: Bo Ikeda
Pieces I wish I found are: NASA spacesuit prototypes
When I die, I will leave my collection to: My friends, family, and fellow collectors.
![]()
![]()
"This is a late 80s Stüssy Tribe jacket and full leather Stüssy "Stickman" cap. I'm also wearing Patrik Ervell cotton and wool jeans."
![]()
An avid clothing archivist, Paul Bryant has always been the perfect candidate for this column, the question was, which collection should we share? After much subway deliberation (Paul and I are neighbors), we settled on his 80s skate gear archive. Heading up product development at Patrik Ervell, Paul devotes his spare time to scouring the country and the world for rare and perfect pieces and other ephemera. Brayden and I watched in wonder as Paul pulled out tens of button-downs, T-shirts, caps, and old Thrasher magazines from under his staircase, storage boxes, and closet.
All photos by Brayden Olson
Eighties skate gear is honest clothing to me.
I own a couple hundred vintage pieces.
I also collect: 60s/70s outdoor gear, 90s streetwear, mail order catalogs, and random ephemera.
At the moment, I'm wearing: these 80s neoprene wetsuit shorts. I like to wear them on the street with more contemporary high-fashion and technical pieces. It's an interesting proposition.
My favorite piece of all my collections is: A Patrik Ervell hand-painted silk mid-century shirt. The shirt will hold up on its own for decades to come—even to those who are unfamiliar with the brand. Knowing the process behind the shirt's design and development firmly cements my love for it. I see it representing another chapter in the history of the Hawaiian shirt.
How does your vintage collecting inform your role at Patrik Ervell? Much in the same way an architect studies buildings: I look to my archive as a library of construction techniques, material composition, and ideas related to silhouette.
The first piece in my collection was: An original Public Enemy tour shirt that I bought in high school.
The weirdest place I ever found a piece was: Off some older guy's back out west. He was wearing a Rocky Mountain Featherbed all-leather vest with a shearling collar. He had owned it since the 70s.
In a fire, I would save my life first. After that, a needlepoint belt my grandmother made for my grandfather. He wore it just about every day.
My favorite piece is: A store display model of a brown label North Face VE-24 tent from the 70s. The design was heavily inspired by Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome and is probably the most commercial application of his idea.
My skating hero is: Bo Ikeda
Pieces I wish I found are: NASA spacesuit prototypes
When I die, I will leave my collection to: My friends, family, and fellow collectors.
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/august12/083012-closetcoll-paul/083012-closet-paul_0.jpg)
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/august12/083012-closetcoll-paul/083012-closetcoll-paul11.jpg)
"This is a late 80s Stüssy Tribe jacket and full leather Stüssy "Stickman" cap. I'm also wearing Patrik Ervell cotton and wool jeans."
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/august12/083012-closetcoll-paul/083012-closetcoll-paul12.jpg)