Muhammad is a niche authenticator at Legiteem8, he's been collecting vintage Grateful Dead and Art tees for about 8 years now.
How many vintage t-shirts do you own?
I used to have a very extensive personal collection, but due to being a nomadic traveler for the past three years, I keep about 20 quality vintage tees with me in my personal clothes at any time. These are true never for sale pieces, some I have never even posted. The inventory stays at a strong 200 items at any time though.
What got you started?
I grew up thrifting, and in high school I had a groupchat of 12 homies and anytime I went out in the wild if I saw something they would enjoy I would just ask for $1 more than what I paid. Then I started watching Paul Cantu videos back in like 2015, and that just made me love it even more. In 2016 I sketched the Secondhandscoops logo, and the rest truly is history. I will say that I didn't learn about vintage as we know it till I became in community with Houston's Hip Hop Vintage Flea Market. All of my big brothers and sisters in vintage found me here and took me under their wings. I can't thank them enough for believing in me!
Tell us about your authentication process?
I start everything with visual cues. Printing, Tags, Condition. Texture as well if it is something I am able to hold in person. Then I either cross reference from my own collection and archives, or I get a second opinion from the community of collectors I've curated this past 4 years as a live host seller. If ANYTHING feels off, it's a no from me. Even on the rare case that it is a one off variant, but even then I will note it as such rather than a fake. I aim to be a resource for folks and, and want to keep learning to be better. I'm a fan of this thing we call vintage, so I hold authenticity to a high priority.
Tell us about your nomadic lifestyle?
There was a 6 week period back in 2022, where every week I was in a different city or state. All I brought was a backpack and my camera equipment. I kept 10 tees that I knew I could flip, sourced wherever I went, and sold and made money through my live stream auction show Southern Style Sundayz. It was just exhilarating. I love the freedom vintage has given me to be able to travel and make money on the road. And through that 6 week period I just got to meet so many folks from the vintage community that I had only connected with online. Cincinnati, Houston, Austin, New York, Denver, Atlanta back to Cincinnati. I remember paying my rent in Cincy off of money I made in Austin, just to catch a Greyhound to New York a day later. It's just been such a humbling and gratifying experience, all made possible off of these tee shirts.
What else do you get up to?
Everything goes to make @_xxfacesxx_ an artistic platform and community of groundbreaking artists and storytellers. FACES is a dojo for me. It's where I go to test my skills as an artist and to intentionally build community with the people in every city I travel to. Check YouTube out for short films, poetry, music, and more. Truly it's the other part of my life that I dedicated everyday of my life towards. I'm a full time actor, and have been a full time vintage seller for the past 5 years, but along the way I've been able to keep learning and creating in new ways. If you want to see the other side, dive in folks. Additionally, I host Instagram Live and @exchvnge.co auction shows as part of Southern Style Worldwide & The People's Flea every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Always booking. There I host vendors auctioning off some of the most coveted vintage pieces starting from as low as $1. No other place like it. My homebase on a weekly basis, wherever in the globe I'm at these, live shows have been home in many ways. Grateful and hungry to raise the bar even more. A life's work takes a lifetime, and I really am grateful to wake up everyday to live my life to it's f*cking fullest.
Use authenticator code SCOOPS to have your Dead or Art tees reviewed by Muhammad.
Cover photo courtesy of @aidanwilhitx.
