If you’re a Penn State student on Instagram, you’ve probably come across an account called Penn State Threads with 18,000 followers. Behind the account are two Penn State alumni: the Demirci brothers. 

“I handle the content creation, while my little brother Arif Demirci is in charge of organizing the vintage Penn State clothing pop-ups we host from time to time,” Deniz Demirci said. 

Penn State Threads was originally created in 2019 as an Instagram shop, eventually spreading to a website that offered Penn State fans vintage clothing options. 

“We have always been captivated by the charm of vintage clothing. It wasn’t just a hobby for us — it was a passion that filled us with joy every time we stumbled upon a rare find with its own rich history,” Deniz said. “Over time, we began collecting vintage Penn State apparel and proudly wearing these gems to Penn State tailgates.”

Over their time wearing these vintage pieces, they realized that there was a gap in the market and a continuously growing demand for vintage Penn State clothing. Penn State Threads was officially made to fill that gap. 

“On August 3, 2019, Penn State Threads was born — dedicated to offering vintage Penn State apparel to those seeking to showcase their pride in a truly distinctive way,” Deniz said.

Before long, Penn State Threads hit 3,000 followers on Instagram and business was thriving. 

“Once we started gaining recognition within the Penn State community, our growth was steady and organic,” Deniz said. 

Prior to creating a website, selling had been through Instagram with customers direct messaging Penn State Threads to purchase items. 

“We posted vintage Penn State items, and they would often be claimed within minutes — sometimes even seconds,” Deniz said.

Eventually, Penn State Threads expanded onto a website, which allowed for creator reach and visibility to a broader audience. 

“We began doing biweekly drops, and each one would almost sell out,” Deniz said. “However, after some time, our initial passion began to wane.” 

The brothers eventually made the difficult decision to close up shop and take a break, which lasted around a year, from Penn State Threads.

“One day, out of the blue, I felt a strong urge to explore whether there were any well-curated repositories for archival and vintage Penn State photos and video,” said Deniz. “I’ve always found it fascinating to see glimpses of the past — how people lived, what they wore, how they interacted with friends, and how they attended school.”

There were a couple of scattered collections, but none were a good comprehensive resource. That was another gap in the market — no one was collecting and sharing vintage Penn State photos and videos on a large scale. 

“This sparked the rebranding of Penn State Threads,” said Deniz. “On October 25, 2023, I transformed the business from a vintage Penn State clothing store into an archival hub, dedicated to preserving and showcasing the rich history of Penn State through photos and videos.”

The goal of this renovation was not only to revive the past for people to reminisce about the old Penn State but to also educate the current generation of Penn State fans. 

“I was determined to see how far this could go, fully aware consistency was the key to success,” said Deniz. “I made it a priority to post multiple times every day to maximize our visibility and grow our following.”

Before the rebrand, Penn Stats Threads had around 3,000 followers, but after the transformation, it gained around 16,000 in just 14 months adding up to about 16,300 followers on Instagram. Currently, the account has around 18,400 followers. A big milestone for the brothers was one post getting to a million views. 

These throwback photos and videos come from a variety of sources. Penn State Special Collections Library and numerous websites for the contribution of vintage photos and YouTube can be a goldmine source for vintage videos.

“Our favorite though is the incredible community of people who submit their own, personal, vintage Penn State photos to us,” Deniz said. “We had one person reach out to us that submitted a bunch of photos of her father during his time at Penn State and wanted us to post them for his birthday. We posted the photos and she came back and told us that the post made him tear up. This was an incredible moment because we saw the impact that our little Instagram page can have on people.”