Why Fashion Is Tapping The Archives
It’s an archival collectors’ world, we’re just living in it
Fashion is getting archival as it pulls from the past to curate and elevate the here and now. Thanks to celebrities’ hard-crushing on rare fashion gems and a new era of status symbolism, archival fashion is on the come up.
Hot Takes is my bullet point thoughts on fashion's hottest issues. These posts get to the heart of why people are talking about what they’re talking about, what this means, and where this could go next.
Think: what direction is fashion heading in? What’s new, innovative, and exciting? What's going on in fashion that's pissing people off?
Hot Takes ties fashion topics to a wider cultural and social context, digging into the often more significant meaning behind things.
So sit back, relax, and let's get into it. Here’s Hot Takes #24.
Let’s set the scene.
There used to be a time when wearing the latest luxury release or newest streetwear drop was the thing that just had to be done. If you managed to keep up with trends and rock a fresh ‘fit that was a rarity to the eyes, you were doing something right. But if you were at the other end of the spectrum and couldn’t keep up with the onslaught of fashion newness, whether by choice or more practical scenarios like a dwindling budget, then you couldn’t consider yourselves to be cool.
But in the year that is 2024, all of this seems to have changed. Instead of queuing for hours and hours around the block just to snap up whatever hypebeast item is about to be released, we’re nostalgically flocking to fashion’s past to build its future. This begs the question, is 2024 the year of the archive?
To put this into context, we need to break down what archive fashion is. In the broadest sense, it is a collection of items from the past that have been maintained and preserved. And the rarer and older the fashion in question, the better. Archive fashion is often taken from a designer or brand’s past body of work, and it speaks to a fashionable moment in time that captured a certain look, a certain mood, and a certain feel.
Think: Raf Simons' “Riot! Riot! Riot!” bomber from his Autumn/Winter 2001 collection which ended up selling for $47,000 on the resale platform Grailed. Or Helmut Lang's bulletproof vest from 1997, which the brand ended up tapping into its own archive in 2018 with its Re-Edition collection which showed key pieces from past seasons.
And then you’ve got the dominant archival brands on everyone’s lips such as Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake and anything from the Antwerp Six — Ann Demeulemeester, Marina Yee, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dirk Van Saene, and Walter Van Beirendonck. These are the archival names to know not because of their elusive and exclusive nature, but because the industry continuously cites them as sources of inspiration.
So, it looks as if the latest fashion wave is looking to the past and the long-forgotten looks gathering dust in the back of a collector’s closet to move the needle forward. It’s no longer a flex to be dripped out in that new new. Instead, there’s a growing interest and awareness in preserving iconic fashion pieces as the last remnant of fashion authenticity.
The celebrity archival crush
Celebrities are crushing hard on archival designer pieces. We all know they like to strut their stuff and take a trip down memory lane in museum-worthy time capsule outfits, prancing around on red carpets and at award shows, but who can blame them? I know I’d be doing the same thing if I were in their shoes. Archival pieces are the new red carpet flex, and the A-listers are going all in on it.
Let’s take a look at the internet’s favourite sweetheart, aka Zendaya. Big Z brought the heat in a reworked 1993 Prada two-piece at the 2023 NAACP Awards. And thanks to the genius of her stylist Law Roach, she’s delivered some stand-out archival red carpet moments from vintage Roberto Cavalli to an autumn/winter 2001 Versace gown worn at CinemaCon to a black-and-white striped gown from Valentino's archive, originally worn by Linda Evangelista in the 90s, to the season two Euphoria premiere.
But none of these looks touch Zendaya’s red carpet outfit for the Dune: Part Two premiere in London — a chrome suit of armour from Mugler’s 1995 ‘Cirque d’hiver’ 20th-anniversary collection archive. This metallic archival masterpiece didn’t just shine, it pulled in $13.3 million in media value for Mugler according to Launchmetrics.
Then, there’s Bella Hadid, serving up vintage Gucci at Cannes in 2022 — she wore a Tom Ford designed dress from autumn/winter 1996 that was, quite literally, older than she is. The white long-sleeved gown in question first debuted on a Milan catwalk about 10 months before Hadid was born.
And Megan Thee Stallion? She attended a Hollywood Reporter and Jimmy Choo Power Stylists Dinner last year in a gold vintage 1997 Paco Rabanne two-piece that was originally worn by Yasmeen Ghauri, styled by Law Roach once again. We’ve also got Lily-Rose Depp, who’s known to run errands in vintage Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Kendall Jenner, who runs around Parisian streets in 1988 Alaïa.
But just in case you’d forgotten, the controversial rapper that is Ye was an early adopter of wearing vintage and archival pieces. Back in the mid-2010s, he borrowed Raf Simons and Helmut Lang pieces from stylist David Casavant, who happens to own a designer archive that’s practically fashion’s version of Fort Knox. Thanks to Kanye, men’s archival fashion went from being a relatively IYKYK kind of thing to a mainstream must-have.
This isn’t just a trend anymore, archival fashion has taken over the red carpet, giving today’s celebrities a chance to outshine the past and put their spin on designs from yesteryear. We can see this trickling down to street style as well, as seen on homegirl Riri, wearing Gucci by Tom Ford from FW 2004 to her son RZA's second birthday party in New York. Archival pieces are no longer a flashback to our famous friends — they’re a statement in and of themselves.
A new era of status symbolism
Welcome to collector mode — where fashion isn’t just an obsession, it’s a lifestyle. Something to brag about in digital echo chambers. Sourcing archival pieces may have once been a niche playground for style fanatics and hardcore collectors to peruse at their heart’s desire, but it has morphed into a thriving industry all its own. Gone are the days of hush-hush archival fashion moments. Now, wearing something from the archives is where exclusivity meets cultural cachet, and it’s only growing in appeal.
Social media is teeming with status seekers decked out head-to-toe in Maison Margiela or Raf Simons, sourcing their rare gems from Japanese auction sites which they have to Google translate or low-key, private Instagram accounts that make wearing such items a badge of honour as you’re accepted into the club.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with this shift. In fact, it’s nice that more thought and consideration is going into purchasing fashion — especially at a time when 89% of Gen Z rate fashion as important for boosting their confidence and 82% say it’s important in establishing their identities, according to Business of Fashion. In a world where fast fashion moves at warp speed and our sense of personal style is fed to us by algorithms, owning a one-of-one archival piece is the new status symbol.
This isn’t just about looking good; it’s about owning a piece of history. Seeing something hanging in your closet that makes you feel some type of way, and who doesn’t want what they wear to make them feel special? A new era of status symbolism is whetting the fashion appetite for something out of the ordinary, something previously unseen, something you can’t pick up off the rack at a mall or one-click purchase so easily.
The important question is, how do you snag such coveted items?
The answer lies online. Platforms like eBay, Vinted, and Grailed have become treasure troves for archival hunters — whether on a personal or business level. Forget flexing your latest streetwear haul or vintage pick-up from the thrift store; TikTok’s newest humble brag is moving from focusing on Supreme-stacked closets to lottery-winning archival purchases imbued with a serious amount of fashion cred.
My two cents.
Archival fashion is the ultimate rebellion against fast fashion's breakneck pace. While the fashion world is always chasing the next big thing, archival fashion is all about savouring the past — what’s already been created, worn, and loved. It’s the antithesis of throwaway culture, and that’s precisely what makes it special.
Archivists are the unsung heroes here, dedicating their lives to hunting down rare, iconic pieces that span decades. They scour the globe to build and curate insane collections. London’s Aro Archive, started by Arianna Sheehan and her mum in 1989, began as a weekend Camden market stall selling Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons. Fast forward to 2024, and they’ve built a legendary business. Berlin’s Instagram-only CopMeIfYouCan shop focuses on Jean Paul Gaultier, Miu Miu, Prada, and the Antwerp Six.
And if you’re up for a treasure hunt, platforms like Vestiaire Collective offer an easier way into the game, satisfying both a desire for nostalgia and the dopamine hit of finding something you won’t be able to get elsewhere.
The catch? Archival gems can often come with a hefty price tag to match their rarity. So, while fast fashion offers instant gratification, filling your closet with archival pieces requires time, patience, and a lot of cash.
Thankfully, on the other end of the non-luxury scale, archive fashion is booming as mainstream brands lean into nostalgic archival pieces that feel accessible and within reach of the average Joe. Nike’s reinvention of the classic Air Max with the Air Max DN lit up sneakerheads with a fresh take on the past. Timberlands are also making a comeback, thanks to Veneda Carter’s modern spin on their iconic 6” boot, giving a new legacy to the brand’s heritage.
So, what’s the big deal with archival fashion?
In a world full of quick fixes and impulse buys, archival fashion offers something rare: the thrill of the chase and the satisfaction of owning a piece of cultural history. You can have a closet that means something. You can lean into your fashion niche and the type of clothing that lights you up. Those that get it, get it, and those that don’t aren’t worth worrying about. Archival fashion is here to stay — so hang on tight to those rare pieces that may play a part in fashion history in years to come.
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Brilliantly executed as always!🎉