Fashion archives – those allusive, sprawling collections of vintage Comme des Garçons or rare Margiela – can often feel elitist and shrouded in mystery. Archival designer is perhaps the last bastion of IYKYK fashion, but fashion archives don’t just belong to collectors who wear all black and recite the names of the Antwerp Six like a prayer before bed each night.
After all, buying vintage designer is investing in a piece of fashion history. Once you start collecting that vintage Miu Miu, 90s Issey Miyake or 00s Anna Sui, your wardrobe is no longer a wardrobe, it’s an archive – which basically means you don’t have to feel guilty about spending money on clothes anymore! Given that shrewdly selected pieces can accrue value over time, especially if you buy them before they get popular, starting a collection can be a way to turn the spoils of a shopping spree into a savvy investment portfolio.
But what’s the secret to building a successful fashion archive and how do you predict what’s going to blow up next? We called on some of fashion’s best archivists from the likes of Nordic Poetry, 2o2st and Store Haut to find out what to buy once you’ve copped enough 90s Galliano, GAP and Diesel. From 90s Ann Demeulemeester to labels like Cynthia Rowley, Jill Stuart and Rebecca Taylor, here’s your guide to next season’s hottest vintage buys.
Ameli Lindgren, Founder of Nordic Poetry
What key designers and eras have been the most popular in recent seasons? What do you think is driving their popularity?
The 90s and early 00s have been the most popular eras for the last few years. One of the most popular designers has been Jean Paul Gaultier. He is a very good example of someone that stands for inclusivity and diversity and that speaks to the millennial and Gen Z shopper. Roberto Cavalli, John Galliano for Dior and Blumarine are other high end designers that have been the most popular instore and online as they all speak to the Y2K trend.
When do you think the Y2K trend will die out and what will replace it?
I think it will come to an end in the coming months and be replaced by clean, polished lines, 90s minimalism with seductive cut-outs, classic fits and tailored skirts over trousers.
What are next season’s defining vintage buys?
We believe our audience will crave tartan kilts, micro-bras and feather coats. I think there will be a return to 1950s femininity and 1960s mod fashion. Glamour is trending with brands like Gucci, Valentino and Bottega Veneta. Skirts and kilts over trousers are becoming popular which reference Jean Paul Gaultier’s early collections.
Olivia Haroutounian, Founder of Real Life As Liv
What key designers and eras have been the most popular in recent seasons? What do you think is driving their popularity?
I always receive the highest demand for lesser-known labels or labels which in my opinion have not received enough credit. One of my favourites right now is Gai Mattiolo for summery silk pieces and Sonia Rykiel‘s studded bags. I think the demand for these pieces has increased because fashion has become so easily accessible and mass-produced and in turn the desire for one-of-a-kind garments has gone up.
What are next season’s defining vintage buys?
I think labels like Cynthia Rowley, Jill Stuart and Rebecca Taylor are having a resurgence. They had an amazing body of work from the 90s to the mid-2000s but fell off for one reason or another. For me, the late 90s to early 2000s will always be relevant because it was such a transformative time for fashion, so many labels like Michael and Hushi and Maja Hanson were creating pieces that were unique to what they loved and wanted to convey and that is a rare thing today.
What are your top tips for building a fashion archive?
I suggest doing lots of research on what you like, look for things that have good craftsmanship and an interesting story behind them. The biggest part of my job is providing new context to a piece to make it desirable for a client looking to find their own inspiration.
Mya Nicole, Founder of 2o2st
What key designers and eras have been the most popular in recent seasons? What do you think is driving their popularity?
Nineties and early noughties Prada, Miu Miu and Tom Ford’s Gucci. People are going back to simplicity and focusing on more elevated basics, such as the office-core trend.
What are next season’s defining vintage buys?
I think we will still be paying attention to the 90s and early 2000s era, but different designers and brands within that time like Ann Demeulemeester, Issey Miyake, Helmut Lang, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and Maison Margiela. I also believe we will see the continuum of less colour and investing into black and white pieces will be principal.
What vintage archival pieces have you been loving recently and why?
A Comme des Garçons tricot sample cream jacket with embellished flowers on mesh, a Helmut Lang pieces I sourced in Tokyo, an off the runway Tom Ford’s Gucci blossom silk dress I found in Shoreditch, and a Comme des Garçons satin bubble jacket I sourced in Kyiv a few years ago.
Hanna Samson, Style, Personal Shopper and Buyer at Store Haut
What key designers and eras have been the most popular in recent seasons? What do you think is driving their popularity?
Prada and Miu Miu have been in very high demand in the archive and resale scene. I think their elevated mix of sportswear and sophistication really resonates right now. They are two of the brands that keep rotating until there’s no more life left in the pieces.
What are next season’s defining vintage buys?
I would say underdog ‘90s Japanese brands and old designers we haven’t heard of. Rediscovering things and one-of-a-kind vintage fashion and rentals.
What are your top tips for building a fashion archive?
It takes time. It took me 10 years. Get your own style, be creative with what you have, don’t copy, be brave, be who you are unconditionally and have fun.
David Ramirez, Co-founder of Pineapple Factory Gallery
What key designers and eras have been the most popular in recent seasons? What do you think is driving their popularity?
I mostly sell Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Margiela so don’t focus on vintage hype. I focus on the 80s to 2000s. People come to me for avant-garde pieces. The more unusual, the better.
What are next season’s defining buys?
I would say individualism is becoming more in demand. A new generation of kids are discovering designers associated with the anti-fashion aesthetic and choosing intellect rather than the high street.
What are your top tips for building a fashion archive?
The market is full of false archives and everyone thinks they are a collector. The word archive is very overused. My advice is to really figure out what you like in life and not follow Instagram, but follow a true inner feeling of self-exploration.
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