A New Bedford business needs your old clothes to dress celebrities. Here's why.

NEW BEDFORD — You know that bin of old clothes you don't know what to do with? Before tossing it out, perhaps consider that there's a local business possibly willing to buy it; And from there, who knows, you may just spot it on one of your favorite Hollywood stars in their next big hit.

That's what happened when the crew behind 'Finestkind,' which shot in New Bedford last year, had costume design needs that the latest mall fashions wouldn't fill. Circa Vintage Clothing in New Bedford dressed the film's A-list cast, among them Jake Gyllenhaal, Tommy Lee Jones and Netflix' "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega.

"It's interesting because even though it's set in contemporary times they wanted vintage, I guess because it's so popular now," said Circa owner Chris Duval. "So much stuff ends up in a dumpster, but I always tell people: don't."

Duval has been in business for 37 years, first opening up in Fairhaven in 1986 before moving to the now-closed New Bedford Antiques site on Coggeshall Street, and then to Circa's current West End location on Court Street.

"We're constantly working on films, plays, things like that," Duval said, noting HBO's biopic series "Julia," based on famed TV chef Julia Child, as another recent production that employed his help on wardrobe, aiming specifically for '60s-era looks.

See what's going on!: NB Roots & Branches Fest brings Folk Festival tradition back to New Bedford.

He even has a "distressed" inventory for when someone needs a look that can only be achieved through real-life wear and tear.

"A lot of times they want stuff that shows wear," Duval said.

'Fashion archeology'

When it comes to defining his niche, Duval says he's taken a liking to a term once coined to describe him: "fashion archeologist." As such, each collection, rack and display at Circa is arranged with the attractive deliberateness of a curated museum. A section of old local wear includes items like a New Bedford Institute of Technology '59-'60 soccer championship varsity jacket, while the walls are adorned with old signage from places like Pepin's Men's Apparel and The Standard-Times' former press building.

And as with any irreplaceable artifact, the process of preparing each item for display must be done with preservation in mind.

"A lot of it is finding the right products to clean with, and you need dry air," Duval said, also noting sunlight is one of the best natural stain-fighters. "Sometimes I gotta wash something many, many times. It's funny, people say, 'You spend all this time on something you'll sell for 20 bucks?' But it's satisfying."

State-level accomodations for filmmakers booned business

Though traditional retail was once a more prominent aspect of the Circa business model, Duval has largely transitioned away from it since moving to his current location eight years ago, noting 2006 state legislation that created film tax credits, resulting in an influx of major productions shooting in Massachusetts, has been a great help.

See what the buzz is: Whaling City Fest goers were the first to sample Silmo Syrup's newest flavor. Read on.

"That opened the floodgates, because there's a lot of good locations here that haven't been used and it's kind of like fresh meat," he said. "When they said it, I thought, oh, that'll be good, but it turned out to be real good."

Who else comes into Circa?

Aside from the realm of character costuming, Duval says his clients have often included photographers looking to do modeling shoots, and the likes of Ralph Lauren and Converse designers when they've been in need of some new fashion ideas based on old ones.

"I have design teams come in for inspiration for current projects," he said. "Sometimes it's just for the colors or patterns that can't be found in today's 'fast fashion.'"

And then, although he considers himself mostly out of retail at this point, he'll still make the occasional appointment for a casual customer looking to add something unique to their own closets, often familiar faces.

"I just think it's awesome," Duval said, referring to a past Fairhaven shop customer who'd just come in from New York to show her vintage-loving daughters around.

See what's new: Tia Maria’s opens their expanded dining room - adding 30 more seats to its cafe

Other times, it may be someone who's heard about Circa through the showbiz grapevine, like the time he got a call from Téa Leoni, wife of X-Files star David Duchovny.

"I never know who it's going to be," Duval said.

Think you have something to sell Circa?

If you believe you have something Circa-worthy, Duval can be reached at 508-997-9390. For more information, visit www.circavintage1986.com.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford's Circa Vintage Clothing fills Hollywood's wardrobe needs