Our Vintage Philosophy
Silence Like Thunder is a studio space founded by David Stein to feature a highly curated selection of vintage and future vintage items.
Our vintage focus is primarily on workwear made from natural fibers. We love darning a sweater or using sashiko mending techniques to repair a well-worn pair of jeans or chinos. This gift of rehabilitation honors the original maker and wearer, extending the garment’s life for decades to come.
Our future vintage selection focuses on heirloom garments inspired by early workwear pieces, but with fabric selection and construction quality that exceed the originals. These garments are designed to last a lifetime.
By curating vintage and future vintage pieces, we introduce individuals to how clothes are meant to drape and feel. In an era of fast fashion, many individuals have never experienced firsthand what quality clothing made with natural fiber looks and feels like. For this reason, we focus on in-person events, exhibiting at leading vintage and flea markets rather than selling online.
Why Silence Like Thunder
The phrase “silence like thunder” comes from Soetsu Yanagi’s beautifully written book, The Unknown Craftsman. He refers to it in discussing the Japanese concept of shibui. Soetsu writes that the closest words in English to shibui are “austere, subdued, restrained, but to the Japanese, the word is more complex, suggesting quietness, depth, simplicity, purity. The beauty it describes is introversive, the beauty of inner radiance.”
He continued, “An object ought, in the spirit of Buddhism, show motion in stability, stability in motion. This reticence is sometimes referred to as “silence like thunder.”
Those are the types of garments we feature in our studio.
About David
David has worn and shopped for second-hand clothing since childhood. From bell-bottom hand-me-downs in the 1970s to thrifting 1960s-era cardigans in the 1980s, and spending hours at his favorite second-hand and vintage stores in Tokyo, David loves the feel, drape, and patina of a well-made, previously-worn garment.
David’s other projects include Asset Camp and Money for the Rest of Us.
