Archival fashion has been flourishing among collectors and it was only a matter of time before luxury brands caught on. This spring, Prada especially drew inspiration from house codes, filtered through the fresh perspective of founder Miuccia Prada’s co-creative director Raf Simons. In Milan, iterations of the Italian label’s foundational fine knit sweater and ladylike skirt silhouette (the latter now punched through with supersized grommets) appeared on the runway atop footwear seemingly dusted off from the brand’s archives. Tweaked near-replicas of highly coveted accessories include nerdy leather sandals from spring 1996, strappy striped peep-toe pumps from fall 2008 and influential platform oxfords from spring 2011.
Prada isn’t alone in leaning into fashion’s self-referential moment. There was also Louis Vuitton’s winter revival of its lucrative 2003 collaboration with artist Takashi Murakami and Alessandro Michele’s Valentino haute couture show in January, which reinterpreted historical looks such as a chiffon dress from 1972. The Calvin Klein Collection relaunch collection in February included an almost exact version of its minimalist beige kitten heel from 1992, the year the brand was arguably at its height of cultural significance.
Recapturing a buzzy era in a brand’s history is only one reason why these throwbacks are accelerating. A big bump in sales on the secondary market means looking to the past can be lucrative for designer houses, as well as the resellers that stock the originals. The global second-hand luxury market was US$34 billion in 2023 and is forecast to nearly double by 2029, according to a January report from Daedal Research. Sustainability and the diminishing stigma around used products, and rising demand for pre-owned luxury goods among millennials and Gen Z, have upped consumer awareness of archival options.
“Archival,” as distinguished from second-hand, vintage or antique pieces, is what you call a garment with a design that has had significance for a brand or made an impact on fashion at large (think a Dior bar jacket or Chanel’s evergreen tweeds). Notoriety, influence and artistic importance all factor in but, lately, so does a brand’s renewed interest in its own history.
Hollywood is doing its part too, translating its love of remakes and reboots to the red carpet. At the Screen Actors Guild Awards in February, actor Keke Palmer went archival in a strapless black velvet Chanel from 1985 (Jamie Lee Curtis wore the same look to the awards in 1986). Cynthia Erivo made a similar heritage statement that night, draped in a 1997 liquid mercury look by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy.
Being self-referential while cashing in on past triumphs makes sense in today’s remix culture. Canadian archive dealer Alex Dacosta of Smoking Vintage in Toronto has observed collecting contemporary fashion (from the 1980s onward) become more mainstream in the past few years. “As celebrities opt to wear archive over couture looks, things like that are driving up interest and prices,” she says.
Archive dealers and platforms benefit from the hype as much as brands do. Tom Ford’s futuristic made-to-measure bustier was a viral hit in early 2020, when it was donned by actors Zendaya, Zoë Kravitz and Gwyneth Paltrow. Its popularity drove aficionados back to the original, a rare Issey Miyake moulded acrylic breastplate from 1980 that was worn by singers Grace Jones and Jody Watley. One sold for US$54,000 at Sotheby’s December Fashion Icons sale.
The increased focus on fashion at traditional auction houses including Christie’s and Sotheby’s is also driving interest in collectible garments, and cultural events influence archive values too. The prices of archival John Galliano surged around the release of High & Low, the 2023 documentary about him, and only increased after his triumphant couture collection for Maison Margiela in 2024. It was a perfect storm. Christian Dior’s men’s-wear collection had already reworked the house’s newspaper print from Galliano’s fall 2000 ready-to-wear line into T-shirts and high-top sneakers. Soon afterward, the iconic slip dress from that collection smashed estimates at a Bonhams auction to sell for more than €15,000. In 2024, after women’s accessories at Dior followed suit and offered a reprise of newspaper print saddle bags, the increase in visibility amped up the cult status of the dresses. Kerry Taylor Auctions recently sold one for £80,600.
The latest luxury resale report at the RealReal, a key player in the second-hand luxury market, singles out “formerly niche” brands including Issey Miyake and Vivienne Westwood as having major year-over-year sales increases (100 and 35 per cent, respectively), alongside significant growth for Claude Montana, Romeo Gigli and Courrèges. Looking at recent Google Trends, the appetite is also increasing for Comme des Garçons, Balenciaga and Rick Owens. A breakout spike for Maison Margiela followed January’s landmark Martin Margiela: The Early Years, 1988-94 auction, where looks from the 1990 collection broke records (one wool suit commanded more than €100,000).
For younger shoppers who prize authenticity, wearing an archival piece is a form of social cachet. “It’s smart, acknowledging that a great design from 20 years ago endures,” Dacosta says. Despite stratospheric auction values at the top of the market, it can also be more affordable. In general, prices of these finds are significantly lower than a new piece.
When an item is rereleased, however, that dynamic can even out. Prada’s pale pink silk halter dress from spring 1995 has been a popular object of desire on the secondary market. The new edition is literally labelled a “Remake” in tonal embroidery on the back yoke. It has a price tag of more than $5,000. “That significantly drives up the value of the original, which originally sold for a few hundred dollars,” Dacosta says.
The designer archival effect is also trickling down to more accessible labels. From his digs in New York’s Financial District, Marcus Allen of the Society Archive mixes naughties and aughts streetwear finds and designer swag (such as a 1997 Tom Ford for Gucci logo G-string) with generic plaid flannel shirts from Abercrombie & Fitch. Yes, even mall staples including L.L. Bean and Banana Republic have gone back to the well to produce archive reissue collections lately, offering throwback capsules of their 1980s and 1990s heydays.
The history lessons of countless museum fashion retrospectives have no doubt fed the taste for archive and shown brands that their own catalogues of collections are a powerful tool for design development and burnishing their reputation. On social media in March, Prada marked the first days of spring with a peek into the rolling stacks of its in-house library, which is stocked with 73,000 ready-to-wear pieces, 63,000 shoes and 53,000 bags and accessories. It captioned that its archives are “a realm where history and innovation coexist.” Today, that’s a statement that seamlessly translates to fashion at large.
On Jamie (left): Archival Saint Laurent Rive Gauche 1980s skirt suit, US$1,455 through vintagecouture.com. Shirt, $600 at Holt Renfrew (holtrenfrew.com). Archival Saint Laurent heels, $795 at VSP Consignment (vspconsignment.com). Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection jewellery, all price on request through caroletanenbaum.com. Tie, stylist’s own. On Sage (right): Archival YSL fall 1976 top and skirt set, US$1,700 through vintagecouture.com. Archival Saint Laurent 2015 jacket, $2,200 at 20 Maud (@20maudst on Instagram). Archival Saint Laurent sandals at VSP Consignment. Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection jewellery, all price on request through caroletanenbaum.com.
On Jamie (left): Archival Vivienne Westwood jacket, price on request, skirt suit, $6,995 at Absolutely Fabrics (absolutelyfabrics.com). Vivienne Westwood boots, $1,445 at Ssense (ssense.com). On Sage (right): Vivienne Westwood jacket, $1,620, top, $695, skirt, $985, necklace, $910 at Ssense (ssense.com).
Archival Alexander McQueen fall 2000 coat, price on request at Artifact NYC (artifactnewyork.com). Alexander McQueen boots, $2,390 at Holt Renfrew (holtrenfrew.com).
On Sage (left): Archival Jean Paul Gaultier spring 2003 shirt, $600 at 20 Maud (@20maudst on Instagram). Jean Paul Gaultier trousers, $1,565 at Ssense (ssense.com). Dr. Martens boots, $215 at Gravity Pope (gravitypope.com). Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection jewellery, price on request through caroletanenbaum.com. On Jaime (right): Archival Jean Paul Gaultier spring 1996 shirt, $1,100 at 20 Maud. Jean Paul Gaultier dress, $590, skirt, $310 at Ssense. Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection jewellery, price on request through caroletanenbaum.com.
On Sage (left): Issey Miyake dress, $1,850, cardigan, $1,225 through isseymiyake.com. Trippen shoes, $430 at Gravity Pope (gravitypope.com). On Jamie (right): Archival Issey Miyake spring 1997 jacket, US$1,385, 1990s dress, US$825 through vintagecouture.com. Trippen shoes, $430 at Gravity Pope.
On Sage (left): Archival Comme des Garçons top, $250 through therealreal.com. Archival Comme des Garçons spring 2006 trousers, US$622 through really.com. Archival Comme des Garçons 2002 leather jacket (sold with matching skirt), $650 at Dog Park Shop (@dog.park.shop on Instagram). Trippen shoes, $395 at Gravity Pope (gravitypope.com). Socks, stylist’s own. On Jamie (right). Archival Comme des Garçons fall 2022 top, $112.50, skirt, $695 at VSP Consignment (vspconsignment.com). Comme des Garçons shirt, $338, blazer, $2,376 through comme-des-garcons.com. Comme des Garçons shoes, $902 through farfetch.com.
Dress, bag, both price on request at Loewe (loewe.com).
On Sage (left): Archival Christian Dior by John Galliano spring 2000 denim jacket, skirt, both price on request at Absolutely Fabrics (absolutelyfabrics.com). Archival Christian Dior 2002 Diorissimo saddle bag, $2,950 at Mine and Yours (mineandyours.com). Archival Christian Dior fall 2000 boots, price on request at Le Palais Boutique (@lepalaisboutique on Instagram). On Jamie (right): Christian Dior jacket, $7,300, trousers, $2,900, gloves, $2,150, bag, $5,800 at Dior (dior.com).
On Sage (left): Archival Prada sweater, $425 at The Cat’s Meow (thecatsmeow.com). Archival Prada Spring 2000 skirt, Fall 1999 mules, both price on request at Smoking Vintage (smokingvintage.com). Archival Prada bag, $1,295 at VSP Consignment (vspconsignment.com). On Jamie (right): Sweater, skirt, both price on request, shoes, $1,990 at Prada (prada.com).
On Jamie (left): Archival Chanel jacket dress, $4,495, 2003 white mini Kelly bag, $3,995 at The Cats Meow (thecatsmeow.com). Archival Chanel black Kelly bag, $5,500 at Mine and Yours (mineandyours.com). On Sage (right): Jacket, skirt, 25 bag, all price on request at Chanel (chanel.com).
Image at top: On Sage (left) Dress, $4,200 at Louis Vuitton (louisvuitton.com). Shoes, stylist’s own. On Jamie (right) Archival Balenciaga fall 2007 blazer, €730, jodhpurs, €340 through resee.com. Archival Balenciaga heels, $365 at VSP Consignment (vspconsignment.com). Archival Balenciaga scarf, price on request through vintagecouture.com.
Makeup by Sabrina Rinaldi for Dior Beauty and P1M.ca. Hair by Kirsten Klontz for Bellami Hair and P1M.ca. Models: Jamie at Niwa Models, Sage at Together Model Management. Photo assistant: Zackery Hobler. Styling assistant: Kyla Akey.
