For London’s style set, looking backwards is the new forwards. From kilo sales in Peckham to posh charity shops in Primrose Hill; vintage clothing is proving that taste beats trends every time.
Designer vintage in particular seems to be having a major moment. New stores and markets offering one-of-a-kind grails, from the avant-garde to the glamorous, are showing up across the city. So whether you’re driven by sustainability, on a tight budget, or you just feel your life isn’t complete without a pair of original 90’s Margiela Tabis, here are ten of our favourite London designer vintage spots.
Files London
Tucked down an unassuming alley, just moments from London Fields, sits Files, a brutalist showroom of concrete and brushed steel. Inside you’ll discover a beautifully curated selection of (typically) 90’s and 00’s pieces. Expect subversive peak-period Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and Helmut Lang sharing rail space with more utilitarian offerings from CP Company, Stone Island and Gianfranco Ferre. And contrary to the austere surroundings, the staff are super friendly and up for a chat.
📍3 Netil Lane, London, E8 3R
Lovers Lane
Part boudoir, part treasure chest, Lovers Lane on Portobello Road is home to everyone’s fantasy wardrobe. If names like Chanel, Galliano and Cavalli make your credit card twitch, this is your perfect sugar-dusted fashion hideaway. But be warned. This is a strictly archival and deeply iconic edit. These pieces have sashayed down runways, flounced at Cannes after-parties and graced the wardrobes of the great and good. And they have a price tag to match. Thankfully, the Lovers Lane girls welcome browsers.
📍77 Portobello Rd, London, W11 2QB
Second Life Markets
One of the major movers in pop-up designer vintage markets. Second Life host a variety of different events throughout the year, from Closet Sales for people selling their wardrobes, to Archive events which attract pro-sellers from across Europe. You can expect rarities aplenty. Spotted at recent markets: early pieces from Jean Paul Gaultier’s Jeans Range, Alaia slip-dresses and dangerously pointed Chanel heels. Get the latest market news through their IG.
📍Various London locations
Vintage Threads
With a tight central London footprint across Soho and Covent Garden (as well as a pop-up in Selfridges) Vintage Threads is bringing resale firmly into the mainstream. Over in the Covent Garden store you can expect Stone Island, Burberry, and Ralph Lauren for the boys and Cavalli, D&G, Sacai, Issey Miyake for the girls. While the Soho outpost embraces street-level energy with regular drops of vintage Palace, Stüssy and Supreme. They do a good job with e-retail (rare for vintage) but the real finds are in store.
📍82 Berwick St, London, W1F 8TP
📍5-7 Short’s Gardens, London, WC2H 9AZ
Aro Archive
Definitely one for the connoisseur. This Shoreditch outpost offers an uncompromising selection of archival pieces from the kind of brands dissertations are written about. Expect to discover 90’s and 00’s picks from Jil Sander, Raf Simons, Comme des Garçons, Rick Owens, Undercover, as well as a vintage photobooth and an eerie cast of mannequins, as you wend your way around this powder pink labyrinth of a store.
📍1-3 French Place, London E1 6JB
Nordic Poetry
Vogue calls Nordic Poetry, “one of the best vintage stores in the world”, while Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX and Aimee Lou Wood are fans. This is proper red carpet stuff, with archival pieces from Vivienne Westwood (including early 70’s Seditionaries) as well as Galliano, Dior, Givenchy, Gucci… the list goes on. As you’d expect, the prices are non-trivial. But if you’re looking to make a big splash at a big event on a small budget, they do offer a rental service.
📍141 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 7DG
Duke’s Cupboard
Offering IYKYK credibility with a real collector’s eye, Duke’s Cupboard’s is your one-stop-shop for vintage Americana, streetwear, sportswear and archival designer fashion. Expect a real mix of vintage Ralph, Stone Island, Nike, Supreme and Arc’teryx, including one off grails. Owner’s Milo and Ned keep things deeply curated, it’s all killer, no filler, leading to an instore experience that’s the opposite of bulk vintage. Keep your eyes peeled for starry shoppers, recent visitors have included Central Cee and Bella Hadid.
📍28 Peter Street, London, W1F0AL
Unknown Archive
Tucked away inside the Brick Lane Vintage Market is one of London’s most extensive selections of Japanese designer vintage. The tentpoles are the big three, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake. But beyond mainline, you’ll also discover hand selected pieces from lines within each brand’s extended universe, including Y’s for men, REGULATION Yohji Yamamoto, Pleats Please and Junya Watanabe, as well as philosophically adjacent brands like Number (N)ine.
📍85 Brick Ln, London, E1 6QL
Found and Vision
The racks here are packed with a roll call of fashion’s most storied names, from Alaïa and Chanel to Dior, Lacroix and Claude Montana. We’re talking grown-up clothing; a total treasure trove for those with a passion for finding unique vintage treasures. Found and Vision also offer garment hire, with a selection that runs from Julien Macdonald sequins, through fluffy Moschino statements, all the way back to original frills from the 1930s, all in pristine condition. Not, in other words, the outfit for a sloppy Negroni night.
📍318 Portobello Road, London, W10 5RU
Haut Corporation
A fashion insider’s favourite. Less in-your-face glam and more refined, minimal and quietly luxurious, Haut Corporation is a small, but beautifully edited collection of discrete chic. From minimalism at Jil Sander (pre-2013 before Sander left the brand) to the conceptual via Maison Margiela and Helmut Lang, to Ann Demeulemeester’s dark elegance, these are day-to-day clothes that deliver archive-level taste. Keeping in mind the cultural relevance of the stock, the prices are really reasonable.
📍260 Hackney Rd, London E2 7SJ