vintage clothing

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The city of London is home to beautiful art, rich history, and stunning landmarks. However, if sustainable shopping is one of your favorite pastimes, you’ll be delighted to learn that London is also rife with must-visit vintage stores, making it a haven for major vintage enthusiasts.
Whether you’re a native or a tourist, there’s an abundance of opportunities to shop vintage in the capital of England. One of my favorite spots is the famous Brick Lane Market. Located in East London, this iconic market is the city’s biggest vintage clothing spot, and remains a popular attraction for a reason. On any given day, the market is bustling with shoppers, while the mouthwatering smell of eclectic foods lures you to keep exploring.
Photo: instagram.com/oldspitalfieldsmarket
So, if you’re looking to spend a few pounds mindfully, keep scrolling to learn more about which vintage stops you need to add to your agenda the next time you’re in London.
Vintage Market
Photo: instagram.com/bricklanevintagemarket
After grabbing a bite to eat, I encourage you to make your way to the Vintage Market, where vintage experts from around the United Kingdom showcase their clothes. Here, you’ll discover a wide range of treasures, from vintage denim and unique accessories, to glamorous fur coats and colorful decor that span across decades (think 1920s, 1990s, and everything in between). When you shop here, you can expect to walk away with something that’s one-of-a-kind.
Old Spitalfield Market
Photo: instagram.com/oldspitalfieldsmarket
Looking for something to do on an ordinary Thursday? Made up of a community of traders, the Old Spitalfields Market is another can’t-miss spot, especially for its Thursday Antiques Market.
Whether you’re on the hunt for some Victorian screens, a 1930s steam trunk, or a vintage chaise lounge, you’ll likely find it here. And if you want more information on these antique pieces, the traders are happy to tell you everything you’d like to know. It’s a prime opportunity to build your knowledge and collection of antiques.
Hunky Dory Vintage
Photo: Instagram.com/hunkydoryvintage
Hunky Dory Vintage is another Brick Lane Market gem for sustainable shoppers. They carry a wide range of vintage clothing pieces, including band tees, cool jackets, and statement-worthy accessories that allow you to showcase your distinct sense of style. Bonus: the items are in excellent condition and are just waiting for you to give them new life!
Levisons Vintage Clothing
Photo: Instagram.com/levisons_london
Before you wrap up your shopping spree, don’t forget to stop by Levisions Vintage Clothing, also tucked away in the streets of East London. This hotspot handpicks rare vintage pieces and specializes in workwear, military clothing, and knitwear, making it a great location to diversify your wardrobe. They add new items to their stock on a weekly basis, providing plenty of opportunities for shoppers to find an absolute treasure.
Read Next: How Should You Get Rid Of Your Old Clothes, Exactly?

It’s no secret that fast fashion has overtaken the fashion industry over the last decade. With trends constantly changing, the demand for new, mainstream pieces has skyrocketed, resulting in record-breaking material production and waste that takes an irreversible toll on the environment and garment workers.
Fortunately, there’s been a widespread rise in ethical consciousness to combat mass production. Ethical consumers are looking for ways to sidestep the fast fashion phenomenon and opt for more sustainable alternatives. One of the many solutions? Vintage fashion.
Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of vintage fashion and how it can positively impact your closet, the industry, and the planet.

What is vintage fashion?
Vintage clothing refers to pieces that were manufactured multiple decades ago. Vintage garments are also known to feature premium quality to withstand many years.
How old should clothing be to be considered vintage?
Opinions often differ on vintage qualifications; however, anything made over 25 years ago is fair game. So, your velour tracksuits from the early 2000s still have a ways to go before you can deem them vintage!
A few benefits of vintage fashion 
It’s sustainable
One of the strongest benefits of investing in vintage clothing is its eco-friendly status. Recycling and reusing pre-loved pieces reduce carbon emissions and preserve water, energy, and other resources. Plus, it prevents more garments from winding up in landfills and reduces manual labor, where employees are subjected to unfair working conditions and minimal pay.
It allows a deeper engagement with history
Vintage clothing is an excellent way to honor history. Wearing these pieces enables you to feel more connected to the people of the past, granting you an opportunity to be a time traveler and weave your own stories.
The search for vintage clothing yields hundreds of fun finds, from a pair of ’70s sky-high platforms and an early 20th-century corset to ’30s high-waisted sailor pants and full-skirted tea dresses from the ’50s. You can pair these garments with more modern pieces in your collection, opening the door for endless styling possibilities that pay homage to other eras.

It ensures a unique style and improved quality
You don’t have to sacrifice style when shopping vintage. On the contrary, vintage pieces allow you to adopt a one-of-a-kind look, taking self-expression to a whole new level. Additionally, their quality is often far superior to today’s fast fashion, as they’re made to last.
Not to mention, vintage clothing is extremely rare, meaning your wardrobe will be unique and individual to you. With these pieces, you don’t have to worry about arriving somewhere in the same outfit as someone else!
If you’re considering hopping off the fast fashion bandwagon, investing in vintage pieces is a can’t-go-wrong alternative to practice fashion sustainability. Whether you’re buying pre-worn clothing or giving new vintage pieces a try, they’ll allow you to reduce your carbon footprint while making a unique statement nonetheless. So, give vintage pieces new life by adopting them to your own style — your closet and the environment will thank you for it!

Between Kim Kardashian’s Marilyn Monroe moment at the Met Gala and Kendall Jenner’s extensive Jean Paul Gaultier collection, it’s fair to say the Kardashian-Jenners have a keen eye for vintage. What you might not have noticed though is that Kylie Jenner, too, has been building her own impressive collection of archival fashion over the years.
Whether it’s a JPG set on the beach or a floral Dolce & Gabbana dress for sister Kourtney Kardashian’s Portofino wedding, the beauty mogul has made standout vintage pieces part of her everyday wardrobe. Over the summer, Kylie put her own twist on a rare Comme des Garçons top and skirt, adorned with 3D hands, from autumn/winter 2007. Most recently, she stepped out on the red carpet at the CFDA Awards in a one-shoulder Thierry Mugler gown dating back to autumn/winter 1999.
Below, see Kylie Jenner’s best vintage looks to date.
February 2021 
Kylie in a printed Versace cut-out top from spring/summer 2005
June 2021 
Wearing a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier conical bra dress from 1987 at the Parsons Awards in New York
May 2022 
Wearing a floral Dolce & Gabbana dress dating back to 1998 while in Portofino, Italy, for sister Kourtney’s wedding
August 2022 
In London wearing a hot-pink top and black skirt, featuring 3D hands, from Comme des Garçons’s autumn/winter 2007 collection
August 2022 
Wearing a vintage Thierry Mugler motorcycle jacket from spring/summer 1997 while out and about in London
November 2022
At the CFDA Awards in an archival Thierry Mugler dress from autumn/winter 1999
Originally published in Vogue.co.uk