Deep Cover founder, Will Wagner, opens up about his success in thrift shopping for vintage clothing.

It's not easy being a collector of hard-to-find vintage clothing. It requires hours upon hours of searching through thrift stores, estate sales, attics, rag houses and the list goes on. Deep Cover founder, Will Wagner, gets it. He's always out in what I like to call "the field," whether it be the thrift scene of Long Island or the New York City Burroughs. Funny enough, we often run into each other so much that I had to pick Will’s mind on his upbringing in thrift while browsing the racks of Tri-County Flea Market in Levittown, Long Island.

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Jonathan Mckinnon: Why thrift?

Will Wagner: For me thrifting has always been a form of therapy. In 2009-2010, I had originally started thrifting as a college student to frugally buy clothing.

This was before Instagram and me reselling clothing. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing besides getting lost in racks along with buying whatever I thought was cool.

Thrift stores always felt safe to me, there is no judgment. Eventually, I learned there is money to be made with it, but for me the therapy comes first.

Where do you draw your inspiration from when curating thrift clothes?

I’m really big on anything vintage or made of good quality fabric. My wardrobe has certainly changed over the years. A lot less vintage Polo Sport, but more of just good quality brands like Patagonia and Champion.

I’ve always been a t-shirt guy, so graphic tees have always been high on the list. I love vintage advertising, pop culture, or anything kinda random like a Strip Club souvenir tee. I’ve been doing this for 10+ years so I just know it when I see it.

90s’ Tommy Hilfiger vs Ralph Lauren: Which brand matches your style?

Ralph Lauren forever! I always appreciated Tommy Hilfiger, but it has always been a little too loud for my personal taste. I have never been a huge fan of multicolored stripes or big spell-outs. Ralph does incorporate that as well, but they have a lot more that I find easier to pull off for me. 

Long Island vs New York City Boroughs: Which thrift scene has better finds from price to quality?

For me it’s always been Long Island. There are some decent spots you can hit in Brooklyn, but you need to hit areas that have basements and attics. Real estate is expensive, and the chances of people having anything for 20+ years in NYC anymore is rare.  

Long Island City Goodwill Bins are a battlefield, evenly matched thrifters in knowledge, experience and grit. What has your experience been like from waiting behind the line as they reset the room with new bins of clothing to digging in the bins among fellow thrifters?

Honestly I’ve only done the bins once. I was with my girlfriend at the time and we were going to Long Island City to eat. I saw that there was a bin near there, so I decided to check it out.

I couldn’t deal with it. The energy in there was too much. I see some people I know that hit the bins at other thrift stores and estate sales. They bring that same energy and I can’t really vibe with it. Sometimes they try to take my stuff or buy it out from under me!

I like doing my own thing. The Goodwill bins are too much, so I haven’t been back.

Do you consider yourself a vintage dealer?

Absolutely, I have been in this game long enough and have worked with some big names. I was at one store dealing vintage clothing, then decided to open an official brick and motor store in Downtown Manhattan, which officially closed at the end of 2019.

Currently, I’ve had much success selling wholesale vintage clothing to Japan as well as individual pieces through my own website, Deep Cover.

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Any thrift shopping tips for Men of Thrift readers?

Buying:

1. Buy it because you like it.

2. Are you knowledgeable about the product and if you aren't, are you willing to learn?

3. Try not to get caught up in a fake and if you do, then learn for next time.

4. Shop at the home grown spots that exist because of love. There are some spots I see that just don’t have the heart and soul some other places do. I appreciate taste. 

Selling:

1. We make mistakes: It happens. You might have something amazing you sold for cheap. I always say learning with this business costs money. It's tough, but you learn.

2. Be honest: I can tell when I’m being lied to or when someone is trying to sell me something they have no idea what it is. I’ve seen other people straight up lie to people when selling them something and it makes my blood boil. 

3. Presentation is important: Show that you care about the product. I always strive to make every single piece of merchandise in Deep Cover something that I was proud of. 

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How strong was your business acumen before founding Deep Cover?

I never went to a business school or anything. It takes a lot of work, physically and mentally. Any small business is tough to run. I wish I had been more mentally prepared for it.

“All of my experience was from just being involved in the thrift scene and figuring things out through trial and error.”

— Will Wagner, Founder of Deep Cover

When things got rough they were rough. A lot of unseen work and love go into maintaining a business. I’m lucky I had the support I did and was able to stay as open as long as I was. Upon initial store opening, I didn’t have enough money to pay any of my second month's expenses. I hung up some clothes, opened my doors, worked 7 days a week commuting from Long Island to the LES and just did it. 

You had to have many memorable moments with Deep Cover being on Allen Street in the Lower East Side. Do you mind sharing a few?

I’ve definitely had some memorable experiences at the shop. I’m going to try and do my top 3:

1. Comedian/Actor, Aziz Ansari, stopped by Deep Cover one time. He came in with his brother and bought some vintage wrestling pieces. Aziz wore a vintage NWO shirt from Deep Cover on an episode of Saturday Night Live to introduce a musical act. I had no idea he was even going to be on SNL, so my phone was blowing up with people telling me. His brother, Aniz Ansari, shouted me out on a podcast which was pretty cool as well.

2. ASAP Rocky came to Deep Cover and bought four to five things, then wore one of the items for his set at one of those festivals and another at a Balenciaga fashion event. The item he wore at the festival was actually reversible so he wore one side for one set and the other side for his next. The fleece he wore for the Balenciaga event had a ton of pictures taken and cemented its place in time. I saw it get mentioned in an article recently.

3. I was asked to be on a MTV  reality show called 90’s House, and it was 100% not what I expected it to be at all. I was flown out to California for free like three times and got to eat for free, but it wasn’t that great. The show did pretty poorly and is completely over the top. It’s a good laugh though. I also had some of my vintage clothing in the television show Atlanta, movies, and a newspaper cover. It’s amazing what opportunities you can create on your own. 

Being fully eCommerce now, how has the Internet benefited Deep Cover?

I can’t believe how great being an online store has been. It was something I never really wanted to do because I always loved the idea of in-store only. I loved being able to explain to someone why I loved something, or thought it was good enough to be in my hanger; all the way down to the type of button or stitch.

To be honest, having a physical store and website was really difficult to maintain at the same time. I tried for a little bit, but couldn’t keep up. Having a store was amazing, it was a dream of mine and I’ll always miss it. Being online definitely gives me a lot more freedom and time to work on other things I couldn’t when I had the store. 

From your perspective have new thrift trends emerged? 

I’ve definitely noticed some new thrift trends emerge. I feel like the internet really increases the speed of nostalgia. A picture of some celebrity fit from 2006 resurfaces on TikTok and now everyone wants whatever single item or the entire outfit. That small amount of influence can create an entire new trend on its own.

Ed Hardy is the most recent brand I’ve seen people try to bring back. It makes sense when you look at the people who were wearing it at its peak. People who were too young then want it now when they’re older. 

What's next for Deep Cover?

Anything and everything! I have an in-house brand for it that I would like to work a little more on. I’ve done a few drops with a new one coming soon.

I’d really like to do more brand consulting as well. I’m only one person so there’s only so much I can do, but I’m still here, continuing to grow and create opportunities for myself. Vintage clothing has always been a passion of mine so that will never go away. 

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