Why everyone makes such a big deal about archival fashion

Jean Paul Gaultier Psych Girl Shirt SpringSummer 2000

Jean Paul Gaultier Psych Girl Shirt Spring/Summer 2000

GQ

“From T-shirts that Supreme released back in the early ’90s to original Stone Island jackets, while archival fashion might seem like something that should be left behind, it’s worth remembering that these are the pieces that made these brands the game-changers that they are today,” says Moses Rashid, founder and CEO of luxury marketplace The Edit LDN. “Even decades later, they continue to inspire the designs and technology behind some of the industry’s coolest labels, and that’s one of the many reasons why keeping in touch with the past is so important.”

While some dudes collect cards, stamps, posters, and vinyls, others collect garms that are worth obscene amounts of money – the rarer and older, the better. Archival fashion can be a little overwhelming at first, so here are some websites to help you get started.

Archive Factory

If you’re in the market for archival fashion from Japanese designers such as Junya Watanabe, Rei Kawakubo, and Shinsuke Takizawa, save Archive Factory to your bookmarks ASAP. As well as the older stuff, you’ll also find more contemporary imprint’s like Kapital and Visvim here too. And the Archive Factory blog is always kept up-to-date with what’s hot, what’s back in stock, and the latest news from the world of sneakers, which is always handy.

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Endyma

Part-historical garment archive, part-research endeavour, Endyma was founded in Berlin as a space where vintage fashion can be understood, appreciated, and congregated. Since its inception, it has amassed the biggest collection of original Helmut Lang in the world, in addition to an extensive range of early Raf Simons, Burberry Prorsum, and other influential designers that were active between the ’90s and early ’00s.