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One thought I have every time I scroll through my social feeds is that the Internet works hard. Like, really hard. If I have a question, however niche, someone has answered it before. My latest query: “vintage brands to look for on [insert resale site here]” yielded endless search results, most of which were reels or carousels with an “inspo” image and a list of brands that fit the brief. “Minimalism”, “Y2K”, “’90s”, “runway” and “brands like [insert designer label]” are common accompanying terms.
To say this sent me down a rabbit hole would be an understatement. I found myself experiencing self-induced insomnia thanks to Reddit and I trawled through TikTok both on my phone and my laptop (?!), all in the name of research. For once, the algorithm started to work in my favour, and my Instagram Explore page was, rather satisfyingly, populated with vintage-related shopping content – rather than my usual mindless memes – that I learned a great deal from.
Once I had torn myself away from the endless scroll, I studied the long list of brands I had compiled and then scoured eBay, Vinted and Depop to see if any of these labels were worth my while. I also consulted my own camera roll for photos or screenshots of noteworthy brands I’d bookmarked in 2024 – excluding the obvious big names like Prada, Gucci, Miu Miu, Margiela and Jean Paul Gaultier – and focusing on Junya Watanabe and Comme des Garçons Homme Deux and Nicolas Ghesquière’s Balenciaga, among others.
While I came across plenty of unique options that fell into trending TikTok fashion subsets like “fairy” and “grunge”, I decided to focus my list on brands that promised quality and longevity. Think: Prada Linea Rossa separates, Armani tailoring and Vivienne Westwood Red Label draping. For the sake of simplicity, I stuck to suggestions listed by UK sellers, but you better believe on my next Europe trip, I’ll be perusing the wares of eBay and Vinted abroad – in Paris, especially – as well as in IRL stores.
Scroll on for the vintage brands I’m keeping tabs on for 2025.
