Eric Maggiori’s collection.

 

Eric Maggiori is a renowned journalist and collector of vintage American workwear and military clothing, recognized as one of the world's leading authorities in the field. His extensive private collection serves as the primary source material for AVANT Magazine, a biannual anthology he founded to document the history and craftsmanship of heritage garments.

 

Primary Areas of Focus

Maggiori's collection spans the mid-19th century to World War II, specifically focusing on pieces with deep historical narratives.

American Workwear: Includes rare items from the California Gold Rush and pioneer era, featuring brands like Sweet-Orr and Peabody’s Overalls.

Militaria: Focuses on US Army fatigue uniforms (1900–1945), US Navy denim outfits from WWII, and high-quality US Air Force jackets.

Fabric & Patterns: A particular obsession is Stifel fabric, a historic indigo-dyed "Wabash" cloth known for its complex patterns and "boot" logo.

Western Wear: Covers the evolution of attire in the American West, often illustrated by his brother, artist Mark Maggiori.

 

Documenting the Collection

The collection is primarily shared with the public through AVANT Magazine and its special editions.

AVANT Magazine Presents: Eric Maggiori's Collection: A 196-page special edition (limited to 1,000 copies) that focuses exclusively on his best private pieces and the stories behind them.

Anthology Series: Various issues of AVANT act as deep-dive guides into specific sections of his collection, such as "An Anthology of French Workwear" and "An Anthology of American Militaria".

Exhibitions: A portion of his collection was featured in the "JEAN" exhibition at the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie in Paris from 2020 to 2022.

 

Heritage Value

Maggiori views his collection not just as a set of garments, but as a narrative of history and craftsmanship. Many items were sourced from unique locations, such as 1880s Levi's pants discovered in old California mines. His work aims to preserve the stories of the people who wore these clothes, from Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush to WWII sailors.

 

In this first special issue of AVANT (“hors-série” in French), we focuses on Eric Maggiori’s collection.

https://www.theavantmag.com/avant-magazine-shop/p/eric-maggioris-collection

 

Founder of AVANT, Eric developed a passion for vintage clothing after a trip to Tokyo in 2003. For ten years, he has collected American workwear and militaria, from the Gold Rush period to World War II.

 

In this publication, he opens the doors of his collection, and showcases the best pieces he has been able to get his hands on. Including, when possible, the story that comes with each item; because every piece of clothing has a story to tell.

 

Printed with a gold foil stamp. 196 pages of exclusive content. A limited edition of 1000 copies with a certificate.

 

Chapter I : American Workwear

Gold Rush and Pioneers

The Gold Rush: everything about this period is fascinating. So are the miners clothing.

Workingmen

Why do work clothes are so moving? Maybe because they still carry the weight of the hard labor put in by their owners.

J.L. Stifel and Sons

Thanks to their exceptional fabric quality (and crazy boot logo), Stifel products have reached an absolute state of grace.

Western Wear

Western fashion appeals to everyone’s subconscious; to the cultural and historical background of the United States and its people.

 

Chapter II : Military Clothing

US Army

The US Army fatigue uniforms from 1900-1945 are, by far, Eric’s favorite items when it comes to American militaria.

US Navy

Denim outfits worn by US Navy soldiers during World War II had a strong unconscious impact on the world after the War.

US Air Force

There is just something fascinating about the jackets worn by members of the US Air Force. Maybe because they all reached for the sky?

 

And also…

 

One day in Colorado

In 2015, Eric explored an old mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado, with denim hunter Bryan Kahtava.

Eric’s collection on display in Paris

From December 8, 2020 to January 22, 2022, part of Eric’s collection is on display at the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie de Paris, in an exhibition titled JEAN.

Interview

Eric also wanted to share his vision of vintage clothing, its impact and its heritage.