by If vintage fashion conjures up visions of tea dresses and sweat stains, it’s time to update your thinking. London fashion week kicked off in the capital on Thursday with clothes that may have been worn but felt very much from 2024.
In an event space under a railway arch in Shoreditch, eBay, in partnership with the British Fashion Council (BFC), sent clothes from leading British designers from different years down the catwalk, in a nod to the 40th anniversary of London fashion week .
As trains whizzed overhead, designer finds, such as a deconstructed punk kilt from the iconic London-based brand Chopova Lowena, and pieces from other exciting current designers such as Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner and Simone Rocha, seamlessly melded with archival fashion, for example. an Alexander McQueen trouser suit from 2003, and pieces from the high street.
Called the Endless Runway, the event was curated by eBay style director Amy Bannerman and hosted by model and presenter Leomie Anderson. “This is the first time that a London fashion show has had an entirely best-of-fashion show on the schedule, so it’s a significant moment for circular fashion,” Bannerman told the Guardian ahead of the event. And shoppers were able to purchase the items instantly through the eBay app.
Related: Catwalking: 40 years of London fashion week – in pictures
Bannerman was keen that the show didn’t seem retrospective. “I wanted to put my favorite clothes from different eras together to make a coherent look, because that’s a challenging thing for people, and I wanted to show that it can be done.” Her whip-smart styling meant that every ensemble felt like it could have come from the pages of Vogue, or from a super-stylish TikToker’s feed.
The styled markers were hit in 2024 with laser-sharp precision. Trousers that mimicked boxer shorts were worn with boxer shorts spilling out of the top, Birkin was treated to a handbag loaded with knick-knacks, the Gen Z way, and baggy long shorts were decorated with a splattering of it. pin badges as a nod to the current trend of personalizing everything. There were trench coats deconstructed as trains and an Oasis T-shirt worn with Chanel-esque tweed. The chaps over boxer shorts were the ultimate sign that this was a million miles from the moth-eaten flammable shirts of the 70s.
On the other side of the capital, Oxfam, in partnership with second-hand resale app Vinted, hosted its own fashion show. Called Style for Change, a host of names from stage, screen and the sustainable fashion space took to the stage, including Sex Education actor George Robinson, Dragons’ Den dragon Deborah Meaden, actor Robert Sheehan and activist fashion designer Katharine Hamnett.
“A catwalk full of celebrities dressed in all sorts of second-hand clothes at London fashion week is a statement that the way forward is, and must be,” said Kehinde Brown, Oxfam’s head of strategic communications, and director of Style for Change, previously. the event.
The show was produced by fashion pioneer and long-time Oxfam collaborator Bay Garnett – she famously dressed Kate Moss in pieces she found in charity and vintage shops for a British Vogue shoot in 2003. the fourth time at the non-profit. Garnett took part in London fashion week but, while in the past second-hand fashion was in some quarters an outlier, now, Garnett said, “it seems we’re finally seeing a big change in attitude people have. [it].” A change she said was overdue.
It’s a sentiment echoed by Brown, who said: “We’re starting to see a real change in attitude, as people start to realize the benefits of clothes they love. People appreciate second-hand fashion as something more unique, often cheaper to buy, but also better for the planet.”
According to eBay data, almost $50bn (around £40bn) of second-hand luxury products will be sold worldwide in 2023. On the app, “pre-loved and refurbished account for 40% of eBay’s total volume, and in June 2024, global eBay users search for ‘vintage’ more than 1,000 times per minute, on average”.
Related: ‘Profit is being prioritized over climate action’ – British fashion is falling behind on sustainability
It’s not a minute too soon. New analysis revealed by Oxfam earlier this month, to tie in with their Secondhand September initiative, found that buying just one pair of jeans and a used T-shirt could help save the equivalent of 20,000 standard bottles of water.
But while things are changing, those involved in Thursday’s second-hand shows agree that more can be done. “I would love to see more events or runway shows that celebrate my favorite pieces and vintage collections,” said Anderson – who estimates that about half of her wardrobe is a favorite, a second-hand Chanel handbag she recently bought. “London fashion week is all about innovation and fresh ideas, so it feels natural to bring second-hand fashion into the schedule,” she said.
For Garnett, “basically, we need to change the way we think about fashion. Something made four weeks ago has no more value than something made four years ago – they are both clothes. The difference with second-hand fashion is that it has that edge that makes it cooler.”
• Items from Style for Change can be found at Oxfam’s online store on Vinted.
