Fashion Historian Abe Lange on His 500-Piece Archive and Distressed Fest

Abe Lange, a collector of art and a fashion historian, boasts an impressive archive of more than 500 garments acquired during his travels worldwide. Coming from a family steeped in creativity, he relocated to New York for his studies and dedicated himself to collecting full-time. He is a co-founder of Distressed Fest, a biannual event showcasing vintage and art vendors. Lange appreciates the wear and tear of clothing, seeing each piece as a cultural artifact. He works as a historian for Antiques Roadshow and oversees a showroom in Brooklyn. He curates items for Distressed Fest LA to elicit strong reactions. Lange wishes he had kept his childhood fingerboards and admires artists such as David Hammons, describing New York as “pleasantly overstimulating.”