“I could live without these t-shirts.” Gerard Cosicol, known to many as Vintage Yubec, unexpectedly claims.
His brand-slash-persona Vintage Yubec operates among the best set of vintage band tee purveyors in the Philippines and abroad. He made his bones with a catalog of t-shirts from yesteryears that sell for thousands of dollars to music diehards all over the world, particularly in more mature and more cutthroat vintage t-shirt markets like Japan and the United States. More impressively, some of the bands and visual artists found in those very tees regard him with esteem and respect. But despite his prestige in the vintage scene, Yubec claims that he could manage without these faded garments.
In the end all Yubec cares about is music. Vintage is simply a means for his love of music to persevere.
He used to play the piano to impress his family when he was a kid and the guitar to impress the girls when he was a teen. Later on, he played on tribute acts and even dared to write two songs that were, according to himself, “not that good.” With the ups and downs and sideways his passion took him, it was the vintage band tee scene that was the most unexpected.
History on an aged cotton fabric
For the most part, vintage band tees are straightforward. These are official merchandise and fan-made t-shirts that underwent the natural beatings and goings of time. Most of these bands have faded into obscurity while some found a comfortable space outside the limelight and commercial music charts. Now as to why these vintage band tees are a big deal have a two-fold answer. The first is due to A-list celebrities replacing their usual luxury outfits with these tattered pieces, and the second and more important factor are the people like Yubec—fans who fight for the persistence of the legacy of musical acts they adore.
Due to historical contexts and relevance to popular culture, these t-shirts are treated like fine arts. Live auctions on Instagram, resembling traditional art auctions, became the primary avenue of exchange for vintage band tees. Platforms like 1980 Something Co.’s virtual flea came at the perfect time along with the high demand brought by the unfortunate global events and with this surge in demand saw an equal surge in prices.
These exorbitant price tags—Yubec’s vintage t-shirts sell for $100-$2,000—drew in a large crowd that slowly became a community. This is particularly true in the Philippines where a warm and inclusive vintage scene welcomed everybody, especially those who were simply trying to get by. What made the community special is its open and supportive nature free from any form of gatekeeping or judgements.
Through auctions and small gatherings organized by the likes of Season Pass’ Lean Torres, The 1007th, and Madonna Vintage Auction House, an interconnected guild of sellers composed equally of college students trying to hustle through pandemic, fashion aficionados geeking on the natural detailings brought by time, and fans of niche fields drawn by the memorabilia-like status of vintage t-shirts was born.
Vintage band tees (and other genre-based tees) have a large global following. We asked Yubec if the hype bothers him since the underground nature of both vintage and band tees tend to unease some. He proceeded to explain that since vintage is part of the fashion ecosystem, trends and surges of demand will always be there.
As Yubec explains, “If the opportunity is there. Why not get it, [right]?”
From a pandemic hobby to a full-fledged brand
Like many vintage t-shirt resellers, Yubec began this business in 2020 thanks to a serendipitous choice by the Instagram algorithm. Since his media diet consists primarily of music, rock bands, guitars, and everything in that rotation, a single post of a 1999 Rage Against The Machine tee came to his Instagram feed. Long story short, he found himself wanting to own tees made in the prime era of his favorite bands.
He cut his teeth selling thrifted finds and slowly compounded a respectable catalogue with which his name is associated. It is a comforting tale to his peers and those who are looking to dip their toes in the vintage scene that no one comes out of the gates as Vintage Yubec. The name had to be built from the ground up.
What makes Yubec’s story unique is the maturity of his business decisions and his firm understanding of brand-building. He is the first vintage band tee brand to set up a dedicated we bstore where his local and international following await weekly releases. Yubec also procures logistical services to connect vintage sellers from the country to elsewhere in the world. Most interestingly, he also tags along up-and-coming graphic designers in the production of his merchandise
From developing a business identity to curating original graphics, the corporate analyst in him makes calculated and conservative moves that show every intention that he will be doing this for a long time. “Vintage Yubec won’t be going away soon,” he proclaimed in an online post taking pride in his slow-paced process and a concrete raison d’etre: to further his appreciation of music and its history.
In the future, he hinted at bigger projects in collaboration with local creatives outside the fashion industry.
In appreciation of music, still
In 2022, the local vintage scene continues to expand conservatively. In that same year, we saw the first vintage-focused event Good Old Days produced by Season Pass and TMP, which was shortly followed by another vintage flea market event, Full Circle produced by Circles Management, another well-regarded group in the scene.
As the Philippine vintage tee market matures, its community sees various shifts in form and structure. Instagram auctions have become more infrequent and the median price point of vintage tees is not as steep as before. But Yubec finds no need to see this as a sign of slowing down. “The market corrects itself,” he explains. Those who were drawn in by the high price point not too long ago move on to their next endeavor. And those that are still enamored by these decades-old t-shirts still carry on with the struggles of this fledgling market.
When asked about his long-term goal, Yubec rapidly responded “Maging collector lang talaga [I just want to be a vintage tee collector]”. Despite the notoriety and pretty penny this industry has afforded him, he remains true to his beliefs and strict code of conduct. He takes pride in putting a fair price tag for every t-shirt and his by-all-means-necessary sourcing methods.
“We should always remember why we are here [in the vintage scene] for.”
For some, these are old t-shirts. For others, it’s a piece of history and culture that survives their love of whatever it is that has aged along with these fabrics.
CREDITS
WRITER Ivan Jethro Balagtas
PHOTOGRAPHER Zach Aldave
EDITOR Tricia Quintero
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