NYLON NOSTALGIA VINTAGE LINGERIE. MEMBER OF THE VINTAGE FASHION GUILD.

The true meaning of the word Deadstock is trade stock inventory that does not, or did not, sell.  These days, the word is often misused in the world of vintage fashion to describe any item with a tag still attached, but in fact that item could just be a single example of something that was bought and never worn - not strictly deadstock in this case.

Buying deadstock vintage items is always a good idea.  It gives the buyer of vintage clothing the chance to own something presented and preserved in mint condition, just like it was back in the day.  However, a cautious approach should always be taken when purchasing so-called 'deadstock' vintage items for reasons that I have covered further into this article.

Deadstock can be bought online, which is the immediately obvious choice and perhaps the most accessible to many buyers.  Check out the 'job lot' and 'wholesale' sections of auction sites like Ebay.  Just be a bit cautious here as words like 'vintage' and 'retro' are very often used to describe items that are neither vintage nor retro.  A lesser used but really good source are auction houses and salerooms - ideal in many ways because you get the chance to inspect the goods beforehand, plus the number of 'rival' buyers are fewer.

Strictly speaking, vintage deadstock is easily identifiable as a job lot of merchandise that is unsold and withdrawn from the shelf.  Single items of vintage clothing with tags still attached are sometimes wrongly described as 'deadstock' when offered for sale but with singe items it is far more likely they are not ex-shop stock but an unwanted gift or purchase that has been kept in storage for decades, usually at home. For the vintage collector the difference between the two doesn't really matter - in both cases the buyer gets an unworn garment, hopefully in mint condition.

'Dead inventory' and 'excess or obsolete stock/inventory' are fairly common variations.  I have heard 'livestock' before, as in 'live' in the 'saleable' sense, but this just made me think of farm animals rather than anything else.  You may see abbreviations being used such as 'NOS' and 'NWT' - see below to learn their meanings.

NOS means 'New old stock'.  I think this is a great way of describing something unsold and unworn and much nicer than 'deadstock'.  I have also heard NOS described as 'Never off (the) shelf' but of course that isn't always strictly the case.  The acronym NOS is often seen used on online selling platforms like Ebay etc. 

The abbreviation NWT means 'New with tags'.  Fairly self-explanatory, this means that the item(s) have their original shop or manufacturer's tags still attached.  Either single items can be described as NWT or a bulk quantity of deadstock.  NWT is an abbreviation that is often seen on selling sites like Etsy and Ebay.  The opposite to NWT is NWOT - 'New without tags'.

MIB means 'Mint in box', meaning a mint condition vintage item in its original box - how we would hope all our vintage clothing purchases would be like.  Another very similar sales abbreviation is MIMB, which means 'mint in mint box' - a rare situation where, irrespective of age, your vintage item and its original box are in pristine condition like the day it was made.  Other alternative selling description acronyms are MIP, meaning 'mint in package' and MIMP, which means 'mint in mint package'.  BNIB is another alternative - 'Brand new in box'.  If you find deadstock in this condition, you're lucky!

NRFB means 'Never removed from box'.  I am always a bit cautious when I see this because in order to inspect the item inside the box you'd have to break any seals.  You'd either have to take a chance on its condition, or, perish the thought, remove it from the box.

NIB means 'new in box'.  Very similar to MIB (mint in box) of course. BNIB ('Brand new in box') is very similar but not really relevant to vintage clothing because vintage is not by definition brand new.

For any industry other than the vintage industry then buying deadstock is usually a bad business move.  Buying a job lot of stock that didn't sell the first time around will be highly unlikely to sell again the second time around either.  For most industries, if deadstock was financially viable then it would never have to be sold off relatively cheaply in the first place.  However, if you are a vintage seller or collector then deadstock is a good idea because it is something that is old and out-of-date but in great condition - the very definition of vintage.

Deadstock doesn't necessarily mean brand new or mint condition.  In fact, you would be making a fundamental buying mistake if you automatically assumed an item of vintage clothing was in mint condition just because it was still in original packaging with tags attached.  Vintage clothing stock could have been stored in poor conditions for decades and show signs of discoloration or deterioration that you may or may not be able to fix by gentle soaking and handwashing.  

If an item in original packaging has been left in the sun for what could be decades then the outward-facing part of the garment could be a lighter colour than the rest as a result of bleaching.  Creases and folds are very often susceptible to discoloration. Any packaging could be damaged too - cellophane packets can turn yellowy and brittle with age, often seen in 'deadstock' vintage nylon stockings.  Flood or fire during storage - even decades ago - could be the reason why your vintage garments were sold as deadstock in the first place.  Smell is just as important a factor as looks with vintage clothing and the effects of damp or smoke can reduce the appeal of otherwise fine items.  I am not saying this is always the case, far from it, but especially when buying online it is difficult to gauge these things.  When buying 'deadstock' online, caution bordering on scepticism is the key to avoiding disappointment.

Vintage so-called 'deadstock' are usually single items rather than larger job lots as in other industries.  Not 'stock' in the usual sense.  Sometimes though, vintage deadstock actually does come along in bulk stock lots - in fact Nylon Nostalgia was originally founded after the bulk purchase of unsold stock from an old warehouse in Germany.

Yes it can.  I have often been offered vintage lingerie, especially slips and knickers in 'perfect' condition and with tags still attached, but then on closer inspection the garment shows slight signs of wear and the labels are actually unrelated. Every busy seller of vintage lingerie usually ends up with a collection of loose labels and sadly it is not unknown for unscrupulous sellers to attach these labels to add value to garments and describing them as 'deadstock'.  Buyers should always have the possibility of this particular scenario in mind when they are offered items with labels attached.  

Trade samples of vintage clothing are very similar to deadstock in that they are unworn and unused with tags still attached.  Trade samples are not deadstock however because they were never meant to be sold.  That said, they are highly desirable as unworn vintage garments with original tags still attached.

Article written by Emma Benitez. BA (Hons) in Fashion and Dress History, incurable vintage aficionado and owner of Nylon Nostalgia.   Emma is a fabric specialist for a lingerie manufacturer with operations in both Europe and Asia.  She has also supplied fine vintage lingerie to media production companies, fashion designers and private collectors worldwide since 2009.