Meet Kerri, co-founder of ‘Hellhound Vintage’
Quit your job. Pack up your life. Move to LA and never look back.
Sounds like your classic transformative film that we all want the lead in, right?
Well in 2004, Hellhound Vintage emerged from just that. But instead of trying to ‘make it’ in Hollywood, Hellhound co-founder Kerri and her soulmate/business partner Jason, began sourcing and selling some of the most iconic vintage in America.
From hipped-out bell bottoms that flick and flare, to rare band shirts that’ll make you want to shave your head and tear your jeans. Hellhound Vintage is the perfect combination of punk rock and LA hippie chic.
Meet Kerri, the roller skating, record collecting, cult movie loving, boss babe behind the ever iconic, Hellhound Vintage.
Tell us a little about yourself Kerri…
My name is Kerri and I’m a co-owner and the model at Hellhound Vintage. I live in Los Angeles with my soulmate and business partner, Jason. We spend most of our time searching out the best vintage we can possibly find. The rest of the time I’m either hiking, roller skating by the ocean, seeing a punk show, watching cult movies, or shopping for records & cassettes.
Why did you start Hellhound Vintage?
Jason and I started Hellhound Vintage together in 2004. We both had day jobs that we weren’t into, and we decided to move from Michigan to Los Angeles and slang vintage instead. Best decision we’ve ever made..we’ve never looked back.
Vintage clothing, for me, is less about fashion as a scene and more about self expression, subculture, sustainability, and a non conformist lifestyle. This career has been a vehicle for me to be able to live outside the normal structures of society.
How would you describe The Hellhound Vintage aesthetic?
1969 straight up hippie girl meets The Switchblade Sisters, while listening to Iggy Pop, Death (from Detroit) and The Runaways
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Growing up in the 90s is perfect inspiration for this game. Especially at this moment. Style was all about thrifting and vintage and mixing it with what was hip at the time. So I was into vintage from every decade since back then. Jason and I bonded over music and movies and we both draw heavily on those influences.
I have all of my Sassy magazines from the 90s and the style is so killer, I still love flipping through them for inspo’.
Tell us about your most memorable unicorn find…
My Rudi Gernreich color block dress. It was in a collection of vintage we purchased that belonged to a pop artist who lived in NYC in the 60s & early 70s. Her clothing had been packed away in a storage locker since 1972. Peggy Moffitt was photographed by her husband William Claxton in the color block dress in 1971. When we found it, Jason & I recreated the photo in homage. It’s currently on the homepage of our website.
Nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy, tell us about the piece that ‘got away’?
A pink long sleeve Hole shirt from ‘91. I found it and it was pricey at the time so I begrudgingly passed it. Then I found out Kurt Cobain was photographed wearing it on stage.
What does the future hold for Hellhound Vintage?
Wow things are so crazy in the world right now. It’s hard to look too far ahead. It feels like we are actually at a point where real positive change can happen.
We’ve built charitable giving into our business model by making regular donations to homeless shelters, animal sanctuaries & Planned Parenthood. Going forward we are prioritizing giving to organizations that specifically benefit BIPOC, and I encourage other business owners and creatives to do what they can with what they have as well. Honestly at this moment, I’m just super grateful, and taking it day by day.
Hellhound Vintage is what American vintage dreams are made of. And although Kerri consistently serves up killer looks with the most iconic threads, Hellhound Vintage is less about the clothes and more about the freedom of self expression and non-conformity.
So if you’re a non-conforming, hippie chic, punk babe who’s not afraid to express herself, then Hellhound Vintage exists for you!
If you’re not already, you can follow Hellhound Vintage on:
Facebook: Hellhound Vintage
Instagram: @Hellhoundvintage
Website: HellHoundVintage