OLD SCHOOL

Unique Vintage Swim: New Line/Vintage Style

There’s always another angle in the retro fashion biz, and Katie Echeverry turned her interest in early-to-mid-20th-century fashions into a new career.

A former pharmaceutical salesperson, she currently runs Unique Vintage, a Burbank, Calif.–based vertical retailer that maintains two physical stores. A Huntington Beach, Calif., location opened earlier this year. There’s also a 5-year-old Burbank location, which grossed over $1 million in sales last year. Items from the Unique Vintage line also were placed on Fox television show “Glee” and the current tour for pop musician Taylor Swift.

Unique Vintage will wade deeper into retro waters at the giant MAGIC trade show, which runs Aug. 19–21 in Las Vegas. The company will debut its new swimwear line, Unique Vintage Swim, at WWDMAGIC’s Young Contemporary section.

This new swimwear line is entirely inspired by 1950s looks, including high-waist bottoms and 1950s-style prints. “We stay true to retro colors—red, black and navy and polka dots, stripes,” Echeverry said.

Wholesale prices range from $32 to $45 for a suit. At WWDMAGIC, the company also will exhibit its other Spring/Summer 2014 categories, including pinup dresses, cardigans and Roaring 1920s–inspired beaded flapper dresses.

The Unique Vintage company is looking for other ways to gain a higher profile. Last week, it delivered its first shipment of Unique Vintage dresses to Zappos. The prominent e-commerce retailer featured Unique Vintage under its Emerging Designers program, which showcases new lines and companies.

Echeverry’s plans for her company include increasing its wholesale business without losing other things that make the company unique. “I’d like to maintain that cool, family culture we have here,” she said. Her father, nephew, sister, two cousins and a neighbor are among her 35 employees. For more information, contact Heather Jacobsen at heather@uniquevintage.com or (818) 953-2877.