At STO, a piece never goes straight from the thrift rack to the product page: it gets sourced, checked for authenticity, graded out of 10 based on its real condition, listed with its W/L specs, then washed before it ever goes live. That behind-the-scenes protocol is what answers the two questions we get the most, in DMs and comments alike: "is this real?" and "what condition is it in?" Here's the full journey of a pair of jeans, from the thrift rack to the shop.

Thrifting: where every piece starts

Sourcing stays the most unpredictable part of the job: you never know what you're going to find until the piece is in your hands, and that's kind of the magic of it. One of the best examples is still an Avirex leather jacket found at a flea market — a piece that had belonged to a family's son, a young man who'd served in the army before wearing it day to day once he was back. That kind of find isn't just one more item on a rack: it's a piece that already carries a story before it even reaches us.

In short: every STO piece comes from secondhand — flea markets, consignment shops, thrift stores and sourced lots — never from new stock. That sourcing is why the catalog keeps changing and why no two pieces are ever really the same.

How we check that a piece is authentic

Before anything goes up for sale, every piece goes through an inspection: we look at the tags, the hardware (buttons, rivets, zippers), the stitching, and above all whether the wear and the manufacturing details actually line up. A patch that's glued instead of sewn, a label with typos or a font that doesn't match the era, rivets that look too new on a heavily worn piece: those are typically the red flags that get a piece pulled. We've already laid out the exact criteria brand by brand (Levi's, Carhartt…) in our guide on how to spot a real vintage Levi's or Carhartt — here we're just walking you through the overall logic of the check.

In plain terms: we check that the label, hardware, and wear all tell the same story before a piece goes live. One detail that's off (a glued patch, rivets that look too new, a suspicious font) is enough to pull a piece — that's the filtering that makes the difference versus buying secondhand from a stranger with no verification.

The /10 grade: no hiding behind "good condition"

"Good condition," "very good condition"… those labels often don't mean anything precise. At STO, every piece gets a score out of 10 that reflects its real condition: fading, small stains, wear at the knees or pockets, any tears. A 1980s Levi's 501 we had in the shop, in W34/L32 black, was for instance graded 7/10 "Very good condition" — not 10/10, because a vintage piece will always carry traces of its previous life, but high enough to say it wears just fine. Alongside it, a Carhartt Large double-knee pants W29/L27 was graded 6/10 "Good condition," more of a lived-in workwear piece. The grade is our way of being upfront about what you're getting before you even order.

The /10 grade replaces vague labels like "good condition" with a precise number, assigned piece by piece based on actual wear (fading, tears, stitching condition). The higher the score, the fewer traces of use the piece shows — and that's the info we display right on every product page.

W/L sizing spelled out, not a generic size

An S/M/L or a generic size label doesn't say much on a vintage piece: cuts have changed across decades, original tags aren't always reliable, and two pairs of pants both labeled "size 40" a decade apart can fit very differently. That's why we work in American W (waist) / L (length) sizing, and state on every product page where the size we list comes from. It takes longer than an automated sort, but it's the only way to be sure the size shown actually matches the piece you're going to receive.

At STO, the size shown (W/L) is always spelled out on the product page, along with where it comes from — measured on the garment, or taken from the original tag when it's still legible and reliable. It's more reliable than a generic size, especially on vintage, where original cuts and sizing vary a lot from one decade and brand to the next.

Prepping before it goes live: the wash

Once it's authenticated, graded, and measured, the piece gets washed before going live — cold machine wash, inside out, air-dried, never the dryer. That's exactly the advice we give for day-to-day care once you've received your piece (full details in our vintage jean care and washing guide): if we tell you to wash cold and air dry to preserve the color and the denim, it's because we apply that exact same rule ourselves before every shipment.

Before going live, every piece is washed cold, inside out, then air-dried — never machine-dried. It's the same protocol we recommend for care at home, which keeps what we advise and what we actually do in-house consistent.

Going live

Last step: the piece is photographed, its W/L measurements and /10 grade are added to the product page, and it goes up on the shop. Since every piece is one of a kind, it disappears from the catalog the moment it sells — no restocking possible on vintage sourced as a single unit.

FAQ

Is it a real Levi's or a real Carhartt?

Every piece goes through an authenticity check before going live (tags, hardware, wear consistency). For the exact brand-by-brand criteria, head to our dedicated guide.

How is the /10 grade calculated?

It reflects the piece's real condition (fading, stains, wear, any tears), assessed during prep. It's shown on every product page, not buried in the description.

Why are STO sizes in W/L instead of S/M/L?

Because on vintage, generic sizes aren't reliable from one decade or brand to the next. We state the American W (waist) / L (inseam length) sizing.

How are pieces washed before shipping?

Cold machine wash, piece turned inside out, air-dried — never a dryer. It's the same protocol we recommend for care after you receive it.

Where do the pieces sold on STO come from?

From thrifting: flea markets, consignment shops, thrift stores and secondhand lots — never new stock. That's what explains why the catalog keeps changing and why every piece stays one of a kind.