Meet Darrell Anderson of St. Mark Vintage Clothing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darrell Anderson.

Hi Darrell, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I was always super creative and drawn to the past. My background is in art and I studied graphic design in school, so I’ve always been creative and loved creativity. I always felt that I belonged in another time and it was probably around high school that I realized I could translate that to my personal style so I started experimenting with different looks — LOTS of different looks! My personal style is a mix of 90’s R&B, disco and club kid. I’m completely obsessed with the style and artists of those musical time periods. I pretty much draw inspiration from anywhere I can get it, but the people whose style I love the most are Diana Ross, Miguel, Prince and Anderson. Paak.

In 2020 I decided I was ready to share my gift and unique approach to fashion with the world and created my brand St. Mark Vintage Clothing. My main goal in everything I do is to inspire others to embrace their personal style and truly showcase it in every situation. Do you have to wear a suit to work? Ok, jazz it up with dope accessories. Do you prefer dressing more androgynous at times in long flowing dusters and jumpsuits as I do? Take style cues from women’s wear don’t be afraid to rock the hell out of it. I truly believe everyone should be able to creatively express themselves through clothing without the confines of societal labels and that’s what I promote through the brand — vintage, upcycled and thrifted couture for ALL!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has absolutely been a journey overall from stepping into my personal style to actually running a business. I had to first get over the pressures of needing to conform and fit in. I’ve never fit in quite frankly and I had to embrace that to grow into the person I wanted to be – who I knew I could be. Once I did that everything else came more naturally. I started reading and researching more about fashion and style and developing my own style philosophy.

With my brand St. Mark Vintage Clothing, it’s really been all about being confident that I have a skillset and product that people want and view as valuable. Being able to promote my work and build relationships with models, photographers, stylists and other vintage clothing sellers has been invaluable but it didn’t happen overnight. I’m all about building organic community so it’s really been a show-and-prove situation a lot of times – “hey I want to connect with you, here’s what I’ve done and why you should work with me”. But for each one of those connections I’ve had just as many strangers and peers alike who extend their support just off the strength of them seeing value in me. They truly want to see me succeed and that means the world to me. I’ll be out with friends not even thinking about promoting my work when somebody will compliment my outfit and the person I’m with will jump right in with “Oh he made that! He’s a designer and does great work. Follow him on IG and here’s his card!”… I can’t express enough how much that means to me.

We’ve been impressed with St. Mark Vintage Clothing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Founded in 2020, St. Mark Vintage Clothing specializes in one-of-a-kind thrifted, upcycled and vintage clothing for ALL! We believe everyone should be able to creatively express themselves through clothing without the confines of societal labels. Each piece is expertly sourced and curated by myself and we also offer custom-designed pieces for clients. As a fashion stylist, my work mixes classic with modern, and haute couture with streetwear and pieces from our collection have appeared in print and on the catwalk, most recently with a showing as a guest judge and creative consultant for The Androgynous Model fashion reality show on YouTube.

What sets St. Mark Vintage apart from other brands is that we aren’t just selling pieces of clothing, we’re selling history and a story. Clothing with a story fascinates me, and I can feel the energy of the previous wearer when I put on a vintage piece — a leather coat my grandfather wore in the ’70s, a pair of my grandmother’s Art Deco earrings or wooden beaded necklace, a silver tennis bracelet of my mother’s, or a pair of my dad’s old fatigues from his Navy days — each of these pieces has a rich history and years of memories locked inside. Vintage clothing offers so many possibilities to not just create a unique outfit, but to tell a visual style story through the unique history of the pieces. History is exactly what you’ll find on the racks of St. Mark Vintage. I’ve curated a space to tell the unique stories of previous generations through clothing and combine them with the present wearer’s personal narrative free of barriers or judgment.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My biggest supporters have been my family and close circle of friends from day one. My parents have invested in me and all the iterations of my artistry since I was a child and without them I wouldn’t feel like I truly could do anything that I’m currently doing. My friends are my biggest social media cheerleaders and my sounding board. Whether I need one of them to act as a fit model for a new piece I’m working on or to help with makeup and run of show for a shoot or just to keep me from having a total meltdown at 2 a.m. when it’s the night before a show (true story), they are right there to support me.

Of course, I have to say the biggest thank you to every single model, photographer and MUA that I’ve worked with over the years. What good are clothes if you don’t have bodies to put them on? And I love that I can work with so many different people as well from plus-sized, to non-binary and androgynous as well as different ethnicities.

Being a small business and doing it all yourself is not only unsustainable but completely insane! You need help from the creative community around you. I’m thankful to have built connections with people who are supportive and excited to see you win. It’s a choice to be threatened by somebody operating in the same space as you because there truly is enough to go around for us all. You get so much more out of this life when you are willing to accept help and give it in return.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stmarkvintage.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saintmarkvintage/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmarkvintage
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/stmarkvintage
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRF7NUffoAwZOM5672HDExw/featured
• Other: https://www.depop.com/saintmarkvintage/

Image Credits
@ l.eugenemedia @jqbrattonphoto @cmortonphoto @queen3photos @olivmare_photography