It all started with He-Man. That’s how Josh Roter, co-founder of the buzzy New York City shop In Vintage We Trust, first indulged his passion for collecting as a kid growing up in Canada in the late 1980s. The same impulse that drove Roter to amass a collection of Masters of the Universe figurines would lead him to become an expert in a wide range of collectible vintage clothing, from ‘90s band tees to Supreme five-panel hats, and open his first online store with his partner, Chantal Varela, in 2010.
In Vintage We Trust, which recently relocated from Roter’s hometown of Toronto to NYC’s Lower East Side, has become a go-to destination for a diverse range of clothing genres, but the glowing gem at its heart is the Hall of Game, a museum-like space dedicated entirely to game-worn sneakers and jerseys. Here’s a sampling of Roter’s most treasured pieces.
Bill Bradley’s 1965 Game-Worn World Universiade USA Jersey
“I got this jersey more than a decade ago, and it took almost that long to match it to a known photo of the team. Team USA won gold at the ‘65 World Universiade—now the FISU University Games—in Budapest and rostered several future NBA players, including Jimmy Walker, the Van Arnsdale brothers, and future Knicks legend Bill Bradley, who wore number 11. This is an incredible jersey—it should seriously be in a museum.”
Courtesy of In Vintage We Trust
1952-1954 Game-Worn New York Yankees Dugout Jacket
“Although these have been reproduced over the years, there’s something about the combination of worn-in wool and leather welted around the pockets that can’t be replicated with modern machines. The wool liner and black Wilson tagging add to its allure, and I can only imagine the legends that sat around the dugout in old Yankee Stadium when this coat was in circulation.”