//INTERVIEW: Chris Olberding, Gitman Bros. Vintage Director

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It was pure luck, when Gitman Brothers Vintage Director Chris Olberding, still a young associate with the Gitman company, happened upon a pile of old line books from Gitman’s late 70’s and early 80’s collections, inspiring him to create the brand’s now iconic Vintage line. By diving deep into their archives every season, Olberding has created a genuinely new product through the reproduction of heritage materials and designs. The brand’s iconic craftsmanship lives on through Olberding’s vision, who lets for his own background and passions influence each collection.

Since our opening and the launch of our Gitman shop-in-shop, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the new spring collection and now the wait is over with our first deliveries already in store. If you’re a fan and follower of our stores than you are familiar with our intimate relationship with this classic American-made brand and we’re already falling in love with the spring collection! To compliment the arrival of these exciting new styles we asked Chris some questions to walk us through all the great new colors, patterns, and fabrics that this season has to offer.

We noticed you have a background in literature, how does that affect your vision with each new season?

Good question; itt’s not so much English literature that informs it, but rather the theory we learn alongside the lit that allows me to have a different take on material history, notions of “retro”, the slipperiness of “heritage” and as you’ll see with AW12, “Camp”.  

For spring, we will have one of the most extensive collections of Gitman Brothers Vintage out there. Outside of the archival styles and fabrics, what are some of your favorite fabrics to incorporate into the Vintage collection?

I love mixing the basics, the archive, and a couple capsule collections, whether Indian Madras, Japanese prints, or one of my passions, such as tennis. It keeps people interested beyond variations on oxford, chambray, et cetera.

You clearly chose some bold colors and prints for spring. The Zebra print and the Japanese Cotton YD Jacquard Sailboats especially, are amazing. Where did you find these prints and what made you incorporate them?

Glad you like them. They’re from some of my favorite mills in Japan. I needed a follow up to our Jungle Brothers camo and animal prints, so the Zebra camo seemed fitting; while the Sailboats were perfect for Spring/Summer.

 You were asked to be apart of the New York Pop Up Flea, can you tell us a little about that experience?

It was amazing. My favorite aspect of participating was meeting the customers. Such fun! ACL [A Continuous Lean] knows how to put on a good Pop Up. 

What are some goals for yourself and Gitman Brothers Vintage in 2012? Will we see more pieces becoming a part of the Gitman collection?

Launch our “Sisters” collection at Capsule in New York and Paris for AW12, as well as a new line…details to follow. We’ll continue to be joco-serious with the collection, hopefully offering something to all.  Also, I would really like to improve my second serve.

For spring 2012 we invite our customers to experience one of the best shipments of Gitman Brothers Vintage to date. Bold colors and prints, linen chambray, white chambray, blue polka dot chambray, Japanese cotton, Zebra print, sailboats—the list goes on. But don’t be afraid, these prints whisper good taste, rather than screaming it. Just let the fabrics, textures, and patterns speak for themselves. We guarantee that everyone who sees you will be doing the talking.

Shop our collection online HERE or visit our stores to see these great new styles in person.