Vendor Spotlight: The Eye of Faith

Can you provide a description of your business?

The Eye of Faith {Vintage} is a clothing and lifestyle brand dedicated to fusing the links between the {past}, {present}, and {future} of style and culture. Our products include a curated selection of menswear, womenswear, accessories, art, photography, magazines, and decor! We also have an internationally visited blog (http://theeyeoffaith.com) which acts as a database of all things classic, timeless, and mysterious.

What led you to open your business?

I (Aaron) had been working as an editor for a network of men’s fashion magazines, and was prompted by my boss to re-evaluate what I simply saw as expressing myself through clothing and turning it into a profitable business; first through exploring my passion for vintage clothing in a blog, which quickly led to selling curated pieces online, and then to our first pop up shop at The Junction Flea! We have both always loved fashion and art and looking to the past for inspiration, so it really has been a dream come true to make The Eye of Faith {Vintage} our reality.

What do you love most about being an entrepreneur?

Making your own rules and driving your own destiny really are priceless commodities that came to us when taking the plunge into starting our own business. There is never a boring, monotonous day- and each day is always full of inspiration and also education. We both love learning, and with each new day brings new skills and knowledge to the forefront.

What do customers tend to love most about your collection?

I think our customers are drawn to our signature “eye” for style. Our pieces tend to be eclectic a nd exciting, and we always try to find unique pieces that would really make a statement. We do not provide clothes to the wall-flower, or the person who wants to blend into the background – our pieces are meant for exciting, educated, and stylishly discerning individuals who want to forge their own path, and make an impression in their day-to-day. I think you will find that we tend to stay true to what is actually going on in fashion, and we try to find the pieces that have inspired high fashion designer’s latest collections.

We are lucky to have had members of Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed List, acclaimed artists, famous musicians, actors, and fashion insiders from around the world wear our pieces, and hope to continue growing our roster, most especially locally!

What items tend to be your best sellers?

Items that are inspired by, about, or depict some element of the occult always seem to always enchant our audiences. There is a deep unconscious fascination I think we all have for the esoteric, and we always try to have a bit of that edge in our curation.

What do you love most about vintage shopping?

The fact that you know that you have found something completely unique that not everyone is going to have in a week when you walk down the street. Vintage appeals to people who strive to be individuals. I also love knowing the somehow miraculously vintage items appear in your hands even after many times the item is older than even yourself! Having something with a past feels much more genuine to life than mass produced crap.

If you could transport yourself into any era for one day, which era would it be? How would you spend the day?

We would transport ourselves to 1920s Los Angeles. Visit the Warner Bros. Lot and all the other iconic movie making warehouses.
Definitely look to meet Rudolph Valentino and Ms. Clara Bow. Send a telegram to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Finally, make sure to obtain as many beaded flapper dressers and evening gowns as possible to bring back to 2016!!!

8. What sets your business apart from other vintage retailers?

When we started out we weren’t sure how we would stand out from other vintage retailers, however, over the years I think it is clear that our “eye” truly distinguishes The Eye of Faith from others in a way that is completely visceral, unique, and dare I say . . . magic!

The fact that we love fashion so much, and are looking to bring current high fashion street chic statement looks to the masses for a fraction of the cost is what it is all about for us.

How do you go about acquiring or creating your pieces?

We look high and low on the internet, flea markets, and estate sales for our pieces, as well as from donations from creative types we are lucky enough to meet and know.

Do you have any exciting plans for the future of your business?

Would love to have a storefront where we could share our inspirations with the public on a day-to-day basis.

We recently have been involved creating our own fashions which we have showcased at Supecrawl, and other fashion shows around the city, taking inspiration from the past, providing our signature style, and creating exciting contemporary pieces that are one-of-a-kind works of wearable art.

Most recently Aaron Duarte has acted as Costume Designer for Hamilton Theatre Inc. creating costumes for “RENT”, “BROADWAY SHOWSTOPPERS”, and “HAIR” coming up in May, 2016!

What do you draw inspiration from?

One of our biggest inspirations when it comes to fashion is the movies!!! The ultimate fantasy.

Can you show and describe the oldest vintage piece that you own?

The oldest vintage piece we currently own is a 19th Century embroidered red velvet Renaissance inspired costume jacket which will be making its way to Jerusalem, Israel in the coming months for an art-piece!

What are you most excited to show at The Vintage Marketplace in 2016?

We shall see what the future has in store . . . wouldn’t want to reveal too much. But expect, a solid showing from the boys at The Eye of Faith this year! Especially, excited to be collaborating with Whitney McMeekin of Girl on the Wing in producing this year’s fashion VMP show!!!

Thank you to Eye of Faith for this great interview, and we look forward to seeing more at The Vintage Marketplace 2016!