Procell Archive
Coco Wohrle
Procell, a vintage shop tucked away on Delancey Street, opened its doors in 2016 and has been a hub of knowledge ever since. Expertly curated by Brian Procell and Jessica Gonsalves, the shop is filled with high-end sportswear, influential designer pieces, and vintage t-shirts that capture some of pop culture’s seminal moments.
The items in the shop stem from subcultures that Brian admired growing up: “. . . punk rockers, downtown artist, or graffiti writers.” The authentic direct conduit to the subcultures is just one of the reasons why Procell is the vintage mecca. Browsing the shop is like reading a history text book, due to the attention to detail and an eye for quality and design that illuminates the walls and racks.
The Procell Archive Catalogue is a curated collection, from the private warehouse and archive, of 100 vintage items with a focus on the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s that notably have left a powerful mark on culture. Heavily influenced by Vitsoe’s 1973 catalogue, and Braun’s minimal and clean design, the archive has been constructed from a rigid grid system and fundamental type.
In the catalogue, an aged and relic 1980s Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art T-Shirt follows an effortlessly minimal designed Cifra 3 Clock, circa 1965, which is a part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent design collection. These relationships create a parallel of the shops overall retail experience, resulting in a powerful dive into pop-culture and design that gives readers a greater understanding of the moments and designers that have molded and shaped on modern day.