RIVER CITY FASHION

Story and Photos by Jacynth Serrano Rodriguez
Story and Photos by Jacynth Serrano Rodriguez

J
osh Roth i

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His passion for intense colors, and pristine designs and line work, are seen on everything from his asymmetrical 

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site here
Brands in the Beyond Night Life thrifted collection include Northface, Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo and other sporty-casual house names. As fall continues creeping slowly and steadily upon us, grabbing a flexy or flirty retro piece from Josh may be in all of our best interests.

When it comes to selecting for BNL, or even selecting what to wear for himself, Josh’s philosophy is not to worry too much about what people think. Whether it’s something new or secondhand, Mr. Roth says, “If you can rock it, you definitely should.”

The uninhibited go-getter credits much of his confidence in clothing to his years in a private school uniform. Once he left the private school system and was free to express himself however he so pleased, there was no turning back.

No one would ever assume running a business and an academic career would be easy and when asked, Josh said it’s definitely not. Always on his hustle, Josh manages to hit Richmond flea markets every Saturday and Sunday morning, searching for worthwhile additions to the collection.

When pressed to share some of his secrets about his hot finds he laughed and said, “I can’t disclose the names because then y’all will go and take all my good stuff,” I’m laughing now too, “but just know there’s two great flea markets in Richmond. I hit ‘em every single weekend. Party at night, and wake up in the morning at 8:00 am every Saturday and Sunday.”

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However, Josh said the toughest part above all is, “staying consistent. Over the summer I would go out every day and check the flea markets, but now I don’t have that much time during the week because I got class and I gotta do some homework, hit the gym. Now I’m really just staying focused on hitting on the weekends, not going and staying out
too
too
late so I can wake up early in the morning.”

BNL

“You just gotta stay consistent with it and always post about it.”

When nudged about how to find the happy medium between oversharing business info and not making your presence known he sighed and said, “I don’t really think there is one. I think the people that rock with you aren’t gonna find it annoying, and if they find it annoying, then you know maybe they’re just not meant to look at it and they can unfollow. But it’ll be annoying to pay my rent.”  The man means business, that much is clear.

For Josh and the rest of the Beyond Night Life collective, grinding is a lifestyle. Then again, so is their brand. While he has no specific client base and it is true that people from every age group buy off of him, there is a particular connection between retro/throwback 90s chic fashion and college students. We understand that fashion is cyclical, and that some things just never go out of style, but what we love about Josh and Beyond Night Life is that wearing his pieces elicits a bit of nostalgia for us, for a time some of us 90s babies were only in diapers. The prints, the cuts and the colors keep us reaching for the irresistible appeal of the vibrantly carefree aesthetic of the past.


Big thanks to 804 Tobacco Shop and Convenience Mart for letting us turn their stores into studios.