It’s like a treasure hunt, but for designer gear. Stylish folks in the know are currently obsessing over archive fashion – designer clothes, shows and accessories that hold some kind of historic value or carry a compelling story. Think of Vidya Balan’s saris, designed by Sabyasachi, that shone at Cannes in 2013. Or Deepika Padukone promoting Chennai Express in bridal-gown saris designed by Sonaakshi Raaj in the same year.It could also be an item that simply embodies the spirit of its time, such as a VJ’s low-rise, sand-blasted, Levis denims, worn to a turn-of-the-millennium party.
It’s goes beyond vintage. Archive items are more difficult to track down and source. An authentic archival piece must be original, in relatively good condition, and be special to the wearer in some way. Lily-Rose Depp’s army of stylists have turned her out in outfits made famous by Naomi Campbell in the 1990s. Kanye West was inspired by vintage Raf Simons for his Yeezy designs. Model Kaia Gerber has shown up in runway blockbusters that are often three decades old (It helps that her mother is supermodel Cindy Crawford). K-pop star Cha Eun-woo and musician Rihanna have been spotted running errands in archive clothing.
Sure, re-wearing old clothes is the green thing to do, but with the world tracking your every sartorial decision, it’s one way of standing apart. IYKYK. Designers and pre-loved fashion store owners offer advice on tracking, stocking investing and acing the game.
- Find a focus.Pick an era and style, and educate yourself on the fashion pieces and designers that were most trendy then. These could belong to a specific year or collection or be related to pop culture in some way (as with concert T-shirts). Then begin your search for those items. Old magazines, YouTube clips of runway shows from years past, books and blog posts that describe a designer’s evolution, or simply comparing ‘it’ bags over the decades are good starting points. Jodhpur-based Mahak Gupta is the founder and curator of Old Love Studios, a digital vintage shopping page (@oldlovestudios). Before she begins her hunt, she creates a style and season board that focuses on the piece in question, its colour story, and prints and fabrics that were famous in that period. Lentina Longkumer, co-founder of Nagaland-based upcycled fashion page 90 Somethings (@shop.90somethings) browses online for “hours and hours”, figuring out if an item is genuine or merely good copy. Muskan Matta , a stylist, designer and co-founder of vintage store First Second Hand (@_firstsecondhand_) loves watching runway shows from the late 1990s and early 2000s, and prides herself on often knowing the exact moment where a certain piece became a part of history. “Archival Fashion holds plenty of value,” says Matta. “It’s not just about how old a piece is but also why it’s relevant now, how it was made and why it continues to appeal to us.”
- Hit the surplus shops.This is where gems lie forgotten for years, waiting to be discovered by a trained eye. “Vintage doesn’t simply mean used,” says Gupta. “There’s history behind them. Discards and surplus piles, particularly from defunct brands, are where I’ve found the best treasures.” She’s picked up a Moschino Jeans blazer featuring a circular neon print, from an export garment wholesaler in Bandra, Mumbai, for under ₹800. “I saw a similar piece going for 150 euros on an international vintage store,” she says. “We sold it for ₹1,199.” Befriend stylists and former fashion editors, people who worked on window displays and ads. They’re likely to know who was buying up designer items in previous decades and who might still have unexplored stock.
- Track them at thrift sales.Longkumer says young buyers are keen on responsible fashion shopping and love thrifting. “It’s important to do your research so you can identify genuine vintage items,” she says. Look to international websites such as Grailed, Lamb Vintage, The RealReal and Depop, for tips. “Most vintage clothing come with wear and tear. Be prepared for alterations or be comfortable with their aged charm.” Longkumer’s most memorable archive piece is a Burberry trench coat, which she scored for a few thousand rupees from a thrift market in Kohima. “The detailing of the buckles, the inner detachable layer with the iconic Burberry tartan check and the vintage label all spoke to me,” she says. “It was a match made in heaven as it was also the perfect size. It’s one of my most prized possessions!”
- Make it a working holiday.Matta’s best tip for sourcing pieces is to search for them while travelling abroad. “In India, thrifting pre-loved items is easy, but finding authentic archival fashion is a massive challenge.” Abroad, goodwill shops, estate sales, independently curated thrift stores for luxury brands, flea markets, and Etsy are great places to look. She ropes in friends on the hunt too. One of her most memorable finds was a Celine cardigan, which her friend found at a charity shop in Canada. It was under CAD 30. She immediately picked it up, knowing it would be a hit back home. Online vintage stores mushroomed in the pandemic, making style search-and-rescue operations easier. Khyati Dave fell in love with archive fashion while reading and researching the history of certain iconic pieces as part of her degree in fashion design from Pune’s MIT Art, Design and Technology University. She started Hit Refresh(@_hit.refresh_) to clear out her own closet in 2020. The massive response to the idea led her to quit her job and resell vintage clothing full time. She recommends comparing styles, eras, originals and copies before springing for an archival item. “I source vintage pieces from different cities,” she says. “I found one of my favourite bags, the Louis Vuitton Pochette, from a thrift page based in Pune for just ₹2,500.” Dave recommends searching for classic pieces that are both functional and have archival value. “If you find a Ferrari jacket from the Schumacher era or Nike Air Jordans from the legendary basketball player’s time on court, you could probably sell those for a lot of money in the right market,” she says. “I believe archive pieces are some of the best additions you can make to your wardrobe today.”