Braddon has a new vintage pop-up – we meet the man behind it

Posted on 14 August, 2025

Almost any fashion-minded, style-obsessed, blossoming expert shopper in Canberra knows that Braddon is the place to go to find something amazing.

From Goodbyes to the 600-square-metre Vinnies Braddon store, Blonde Concept and Canberra Garms, it’s become a thifter’s paradise for those on the hunt to add a unique piece to their collection. But there’s a new vintage pop-up that’s making waves – and we sat down AJ, the founder of Get It Together Thrift, to find out all about it.

Selling ’80s, ’90s and Y2K “dope shit” (his words, not ours), AJ will be taking over a shop in the Ori Building until Sunday 21 September to supply keen shoppers with some rare vintage and one-of-a-kind items. Start your engines – here’s what you need to know.

Who is behind Get It Together? Tell me about yourself — did you grow up in Canberra? If not, what brings you here?

I grew up in Canberra and moved to London when I was 19 where I caught the travel bug big time.  Since then, I have lived in eight different cities and explored loads of places around the globe, from small whisky bars in Bushwick, New York to cobbled roads in Kyoto, Japan. I love to travel and find inspiration everywhere I go.

I have to say, I love being back. Canberra has always had a special place in my heart and now more than ever it feels alive. There are so many cool things opening all the time, which is why I chose to open up here.

Where does your love for vintage/thrifting come from? 

I have always found fashion interesting and admired people who dress well.

When I was 16, I remember hearing RUN DMC on the radio for the first time and then seeing them perform on TV in Adidas tracksuits and shellToe shoes and thinking ‘WOW’.

A fire was lit in my heart and that started my love for not only street fashion, but also DJing and collecting things, from rare 45 records to small portable vintage turntables.

Over the years I have always tried to search out obscure street brands or hip hop inspired fashions from Kangol hats to Evisu Jeans and thrifting in different cities or countries is my jam. Thankfully, my girlfriend Nat feels the same way. In fact, not only is she a big inspiration in the opening of this shop, but we had our first date in an Op shop in Melbourne exactly six years almost to the day.

What kind of items do you stock/what kind of items can people find at the pop-up? 

Well, you will find many rare vintage ‘Japanese made’ Adidas -Descente Jackets (which are considered the holy grail of Adidas clothing to many people in the know) and probably the biggest collecting in Australia right now for men and women.

We have very limited Adidas jumpers, hoodies and T-shirts too from the ’90s, Y2K and now.

We also have Retro Nike, Asics, Puma, Japanese brand Jackets, Levi jeans, fisherman vests, The North Face, Champion, ACG, Kappa, heaps of funky tees and hats and a few pieces of rare Art and bags.

This is less of a “thrift shop” experience and more of a carefully curated and intentional range that I have hand-picked over the last two years.

How do you source pieces and what kind of items do you look for?

I spend hours hunting for items online and doing research, bidding at auctions and finding things I have never seen in Australia before.

I try to focus more on what I think is different and funky rather than popular or flavour-of-the-month stuff. I guess part of me is nostalgic for a time and era that I fell in love with, and my friends and I share a passion for the fashion, culture and music I grew up with, and we are now seeing it make a comeback.

My hope is to give these unique pieces a new home and not just send them off to landfill, which would be a tragedy. Who knows, maybe they will inspire some of the younger generations to fall in love with them the way we did.

What makes you different from other thrift shops in Canberra? 

There are loads of cool thrift shops now compared to when I grew up here, so that’s inspiring and one of the key reasons why we chose Braddon as the place to position our pop up.

I guess we lean more towards classic ’90s street wear brands and more hip hop-inspired fashion – the stuff that break dancers, DJs, musicians, and taste-makers used to wear back in the day.

Plus, our space is hidden from the public, making it impossible to find, AND our shop space is about 10 times too big for what we needed, so that makes us stand out.

Do you have plans for a permanent location? 

We’ve just signed a six-week lease in a huge room tucked away upstairs in the Ori building in Braddon, however, the prospect of opening something long-term would be the dream, maybe in a slightly smaller room! I guess it all depends on the response we receive over the coming weeks.

Why do you think thrifting continues to be such a popular form of shopping?

I think there are many reasons. For me it’s exciting! Finding that rare gem at a good price or funky item that you’ve never seen before… It’s addictive.

These days a lot of fast fashion is not only adding to landfill, but in my opinion, it is also kind of dull and poorly made, with little thought of good-quality fabrics or designs.

I lived through the golden age of fashion when street brands like Cross Colours, LRG, Phat farm and Karl Kani were big and brands like Nike and Adidas used to make all kinds of crazy, functional designs and patterns, full of colour and setting trends that are still around today.

What inspired the name ‘Get It Together’?

Oh man, don’t even go there…when it comes to naming things, I mull over it for months. I could write a book on how many names I came up with and why they weren’t right, but then I’d have to name that book and that would be another whole issue.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Please come to my shop…and bring cookies as I can’t leave.

Plus, you can now follow us on our new Instagram and TikTok accounts and check out the ‘unboxing videos” of new stock that is still arriving weekly from Japan. I should also mention we will have giveaways and exclusive offers available only to our followers, plus sneak peeks of stuff before it hits the racks. Like, comment, and share to be in the loop!

Images supplied.