Gift of the garb

>> The Eastern expeditions of OLDgOLD’s
Jonah Leslie lead to distinctive threads
for Montreal clubbers

by JACK OATMON

SPEAKING OF HUMANITY: Leslie at OLDgOLD

From the intriguing installations in the front display to the tasteful minutiae complementing every inch of the store, not to mention the animals, live and otherwise, housed within, OLDgOLD (256 Mont Royal E., (514) 509-1675) is a hidden treasure among Montreal’s myriad boutiques.

The store’s existence is the product of a classic tale of determination, the details of which are as endearing as the unique, funky articles of clothing on sale there. Owner Jonah Leslie built his financial and cultural capital up from a single box of clothes he bought while on a trip to Southeast Asia.

“I started with one box,” says Leslie. “I had some extra money saved up for my trip and I just went out and bought clothes that I thought were really cool. At the first St-Laurent street sale, I sold a bunch of stuff, and reinvested the money I made by going back and getting two boxes. I then did the street sale at the end of the summer and, again, kept the money aside, went back and got more stuff.

“It was inspiring, the way it’s very merchant-oriented in Asia. You can print t-shirts in your basement, put them in a suitcase, go out on a sidewalk downtown and just sell your shit if you want to. It’s a good thing for emerging independent designers and artists. A lot of stuff is produced in that area of the world, and it’s not necessarily sweatshop-produced.”

Leslie’s very affordable imports, for the record, are not the products of any sinister sweatshop schemes. “Those four polos, for example,” he says, pointing out the shirts, “it’s a good friend of mine that makes those. It’s not mass-produced, where the quality is really bad and the conditions of the factories are not so good. I stay away from that stuff, you know?”

The result is a store with virtually no identical items or filler fashion, but a lovely array of pieces that scream “someone’s future favourite shirt/hat/dress,” with a discerning focus on taste and vibrancy. The fabulous colours and quirkiness of the articles are, in fact, the primary indicator of Jonah’s history as a DJ and party promoter.

“My personal involvement in the club scene is one of the big reasons why my clothing business has merged with the club scene. I’m a guy who goes out a lot. When people go out, they want to have a nice get-up. They want to have something that differentiates them. It feels good to look good. You wanna wear something catchy, so a lot of the clothes pertain to that fun, creative way of dressing.”

Like many such thoughtful magpies who indulge in both the fashion and the philosophies of the East, Jonah naturally wonders about whether intellect and materialism are mutually exclusive.

“I’ve had this internal debate going for a while now. I’m not a materialistic guy, so what the hell am I doing selling clothes? But there are material things in this world that are made with passion and love, and those things carry on that energy. There’s something really special about that. It speaks of humanity.”