Sydney Bustamante is the second generation manager of Drop Your Jeans, a store specializing in vintage items. Especially vintage denim. The store was started by Sydney’s dad, Russell Bustamante and was originally called Drop Your Jeans Off. Sydney joined the team officially four years ago. We sat down to talk about the store, the intersection of style and identity, and finding your fit.

Drop Your Jeans is located in Covina, California, and is my favorite place to find vintage jeans.

Because the store specializes in vintage denim the appeal of used and well worn denim was our jumping off point.


Caleb: Do you think that your audience is drawn to worn in jeans, more?Jeans with rips?


Sydney: Everybody is different. So that's the thing too. That's why it's so hard. And that's what brings in the identity part that you're looking for, which is that everybody has a different style, a different fit, a different idea of what they want to look and feel like.


And so that's why we try to stick out as many different kinds [of jeans] as we can, because you're going to get people that want so many different things. You're going to get people that just want to find something that fits them.

So that's something else about the 501, the 501 goes way back. A lot of people, [say], ‘oh, I want the 501s.’ But then they find that they don't fit them the way that they might like. They might've just seen somebody wearing the 501s or they heard somebody talk about how the 501 is classic; with the button fly and all that. But really, you know, that's not what fits people all the time.


So people, I think, just really want to find what they're comfortable with. Especially bigger people. I find that they have a hard time because at the Levi’s store, they only go up to a certain size and here we carry absolutely all sizes.


We appeal to everybody. Across the ages, we have children all the way up to elderly [who] come in here.


Talk me through the process of how you guys get jeans.  I think a lot of people would be curious to know what's going on.


A lot of people assume it's all donated.

We buy our jeans. We buy it by the pound.  My dad's had the same supplier for a very long time. He started off buying off people's local jeans and then branched out to supplier once he reached that level. We buy it by the pound and just, maybe, two months ago we ordered 36 bales. So that's 3,600 pairs of jeans, you know?


After we order it from the supplier, it comes from across the country. [Our supplier] travels around the Midwest to collect it. And then when it gets here, we sort, we process. So processing is opening the bale, going through counting rejects, [seeing what’s] good, what's bad. You know? And then after [we] process [the jeans] then wash, after wash, price, after price [we] put them out. Yeah. It's a process.


So do you do a lot of digging back here for yourself?


You don't want to know my stash!


I know Rocky said he's got a hundred pairs.


Yeah, I probably do too.


So you guys have a lot of different avenues that you guys are selling from, [is that] because you want to, or is that a necessity, if you don't mind me asking.


Necessity. Always. That's why we branch out from what we normally buy. Because my dad, he's got so many jeans and I have to explain to him, sometimes they're not looking for jeans. Maybe they want denim shirts, and that's actually what's selling a lot too: the denim shirts. It's things like that... We had to branch off to posters because you got to stay with the times and with the people.


I feel like I'll just go ahead and branch out real quick. Cause I've been thinking about this.


I feel like identity and people's identity when it comes to  denim, not everybody likes the really, really worn out look. So that's the thing. Some people want a perfect look and that's cool too. You know, I like that too. But when it comes to the worn out stained, especially when it's old and there's some stains, that's the character in it. You know? And it brings out character just knowing that it was a garment that somebody cared about enough to hold on to or put work into, you know?

I think that you should wear things out as long as you can, and that's why we keep on the recycling. And then when they're too dirty, we cut them into shorts.


I hear you also talking about recycling and being conscious of that. Would you say that's part of your own personal mission here? Keeping things in use?


I'll just say that, yeah, that may be my personal mission, but [my dad] as well. He has always kept that in mind because you just never know what's going to come through the door. What's one person's trash is another person's gems. So that's why  we don't throw anything away and anything that we don't sell or anything that doesn't serve us we have somebody that buys truckloads and sends them to the Philippines so they can [be used there]. And then also we've given clothes out to the people that are on skid row, just to make sure that they have something more. Because even though people may look at some of this stuff and it's not their style, not worth spending the money, it's a wearable jacket and it can go somewhere. So I think things should never be thrown away.


That's awesome. Yeah.


There's some things covered in stains and some people just don't care. They just want something that they like. Everybody likes something different. People come in and bring their friends and some friends are cool, but others will discourage you from what you're getting. I feel you should get what you like, not what somebody else likes, always.


So that's where I come in. I'm like, ‘those actually look really good.’ You know? I'm like, ‘Hmm. Don't listen to your friend.’

And then there are friends that pump you up and make you feel good about what you like and make you feel good about what you like or what you’re trying on. Those are the best of friends that should be held onto.

Honesty is important, but what is most important is being honest to yourself. In the end, do what you like, regardless of what anybody else thinks.


And so it's really interesting to see how [denim] goes through cycles. Do you guys experience those cycles here? Do you guys try to cater to [those cycles]?


Yeah, definitely.


A hot one right now is a 550, which is similar to the SilverTab. Not really, but by bagginess it is similar. And I think people are liking that now because people just need something that fits them better, especially women that have tighter waist but thicker thighs. So they need room, you know? So those ones cater to that.


[For a while], nobody really came in looking for those. But now I recommend them all the time. Especially for girls.


It happens a lot where girls come in, they're like, ‘I don't know my size,’ and I pick one out and it's perfect because I've just been doing it long enough. And I just know what the denim means, you know what I mean?


It's a visual thing. You shouldn't trust a size. You've got to train your eye, in everything.


Denim is fun, especially when you find an old piece. It's exciting. And then when it sells, somebody finds something that fits them perfect. That's just exciting when you get a good piece.