Brick Lane Vintage Shops – A Vintage Guide to London
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Hey Londoners, can we go thrift shopping? With fast fashion awareness on the rise and the thrill of vintage clothing from famous brands trending, we’re gonna go shopping.
If you are heading to the famous Brick Lane Market but can’t quite find the vintage clothes you’re after, then a store is your best bet.
Here is a list of some of the best vintage shopping in London to help you find those rare items before bragging about them. Here is my guide to Brick Lane vintage shops.
Vintage shopping in Brick Lane is one of the top things to do in East London.
Best Vintage Shops in London
For the bargain seekers and thrift lovers, this list is here to help you get out there and find that vintage denim jacket you’ve always wanted. With that in mind, let’s get thrifty.
House of Vintage
After launching in Canada, House of Vintage opened its first London store located in the trendy area of Shoreditch.
This store opened in 2010 and carries a curated selection of clothing from the 1920s to the 1970s.
The store specialises in rare and unique items and is also one of the many online vintage stores in London.
Levisons
Levisions was established in 2008 and has become a popular destination for thrift seekers.
It is known for stocking a unique, hand-picked selection of rare and vintage clothing.
The store stocks styles of workwear, military, tailoring and knitwear for both women and men.
New items are added on a weekly basis and there is even a showroom that houses the rarest archive pieces that are available for hire.
Search and Destroy
Hidden on Cheshire street off of Brick Lane, this store is fast becoming a well-known store for the best women’s and men’s vintage clothing from the world.
All of their stock is handpicked true vintage from the 50s through to the 90s.
Expect to find rails of rock tee’s, leather jackets, boho get-ups and even bold printed dresses.
Having a curated collection of clothing makes for a truly memorable experience with all the options available to customers when they visit.
Atika London
Just off Brick Lane in a huge historic warehouse, is Atika – one of the best vintage stores in London. It’s also one of the largest walk-in and online vintage stores.
A vintage fashion department store spanning over two floors with five rooms and over 20,000 vintage items from the 70s to the early 00s.
Sporting high-end brands like Burberry, Armani, and a few more, Atika also supports independent artists and designers who rework vintage clothing.
If there is something in particular that you’re looking for, this is the place to go, with such a large collection to sift through.
Vintage Basement
A quaint vintage shop in London, Vintage Basement attempts to embody one’s style and sentiment through the retro trends in vintage clothing.
The owners are passionate about finding exclusive once-off garments from around the world.
With the shop and basement floor always changing, this retro shop has items that are handpicked for the true vintage lovers who take pride in wearing unique pieces.
Serotonin Vintage
This heavy weight of a vintage store was established as a brick-and-mortar store in 2016.
This Brick Lane store offers a real personal selection of some of the cutest vintage clothing. This ranges from designers to one of a kind vintages pieces.
Since their inception, they have catered to the Sid and Nancy meets Cher Horowitz clientele that they love.
They feature a massive online store as well, giving you the freedom to shop from your living room.
Here After
Having its roots as a small market stall at a vintage market, Here After expanded into a fulltime home in 2017.
A smaller vintage boutique, this shop offers a refined selection of high-quality vintage clothing that focuses on beautiful prints and fabrics.
All of these items are skilfully selected and only slightly tweaked when needed. The owner travels the world for rare designer finds and pieces from the 1970s and 1990s.
Rokit
A classic originating in London’s Iconic Camden Market in 1986, Rokit vintage clothing in Brick Lane has three shop fronts. They house all the vintage clothing that you could dream of.
Fancy something from the 50s and a touch of 70s? Or maybe a jacket from the 80s with some neon from the 90s, Rokit London has it all.
All items are chosen with the style conscious and environmentally friendly vintage lovers in mind.
Rokit clothing also upcycles their own pieces but all of these come at a price as this is not the cheapest of vintage stores.
Beyond Retro
Another London classic with quite the presence around the city, this store located in Cheshire Street resembles more of a warehouse than a shop.
Make sure to mark off an afternoon here, as you will need at least an hour to peruse the countless rails of vintage wear.
Their clothing ranges from 90s sportswear all the way back to the peacoat era of the 40s and 50s.
Their focus on sustainability means that they operate in a minus carbon footprint with an established infrastructure to recycle and upcycle on a global scale.
If you need a break to recharge halfway through your shop, try out of these coffee shops in Shoreditch. Don’t forget your reusable coffee cup though!
Nordic Poetry
Being born from a vision to elevate the perception of vintage fashion, this store opened in 2017 after starting out as an online thrift store in the UK.
This store is what most Londoners would point out when asking for the best vintage shopping in London.
Housing pieces from the 70s all the way through to the 90s, for men and women, this is the place to go.
If you want to really get into the mood, order an Old Fashioned from the bar that sits in the center of the store.
Hunky Dory Vintage
Occupying a small space on Brick Lane, this place is all about glamour, with a lot of its vintage collection being coats, blazers, faux-fur jackets, and blouses.
The self-proclaimed ‘purveyors of vintage clothing’ sits behind an indiscernible wooden front with a wooden door.
But this is actually home to vintage for twentieth century frocks and manly modes.
Metro Retro
Selling online since 1994 and a member of the Vintage Fashion guild, if you want some real vintage then Metro Retro is for you.
This store offers a fine selection of authentic vintage and antique clothing, jewellery and accessories from all eras.
Looking for something from as far back as the Victorian era? Metro Retro has it from there all the way to the Art Deco period.
They also house everything Modernist for all the fashion hipsters out there. There is something here for everyone, no matter your style.
The Market Cartel
Located just a 2-minute walk away from Hackney Downs Station, this little store specialises in hand-selected vintage fashion that caters to both men and women.
If you are looking for a little extra, they also carry a range of vintage furniture, homeware and lighting to turn your home into a true time capsule.
Need some accessories or jewellery to go with that perfect outfit? They have it too.
East End Vintage Clothing
For the bargain hunters, East End Vintage provides a selection of European and American vintage clothing from the 20s all the way to the 90s. They do this all for the lowest prices in London.
You will find diversity and nostalgia under one roof with the store in two sections: Vintage Selected and a Fill-a-Bag section.
The Vintage Selected being all hand-picked and for the devoted vintage lovers. The Fill-a-Bag section is where you pay for the size of your bag and fill it as much as you can.
Keep an eye out for their flash pound sales on certain weekends as well.
East End Thrift Store
A shop for only true vintage lovers, this old warehouse stacked with old-timey clothing and accessories awaits. You will find anything and everything from party frocks and coats to jumpsuits and knits.
With most goods costing under £10, the bargains to be found are endless. There is a second floor with all the designer finds you could want but those are considerably more expensive.
Paper Dress Vintage
By day, this boutique sells men’s and women’s vintage garments from 1900 to the 80s that are all hand sourced around the UK. By night, it transforms into a live music venue spread over two levels.
Sustainable fashion is at the heart of this store with the belief that older garments were made to last so why buy throwaway fashion?
With a knowledgeable staff on hand to find any garment you might need and an in-house tailor to take the fitment to perfection, this is a one-stop service.
Shopping at London’s Vintage Shops
The focus towards more sustainable ways of living has made its way into almost every aspect of our lives.
Fast fashion is one of the key contributors to waste, so buying vintage is the sustainable thing to do.
Let’s not forget the thrill of finding a designer piece at a reasonable price that you can then show off on your next adventure with your friends.