It’s time to dig through all those old boxes you keep under the stairs and find your best luxury bits ’cause Valentino Vintage has just landed in London for the very first time. The one-of-its-kind initiative has hijacked Rellik, the must-visit vintage store that’s served fashion fans, stylists and celebrities alike with an eccentric and experimental selection of 1960s-present day gems in Notting Hill since 1999. Selected for its distinctive “don’t tell anyone” identity, Rellik turns Rosso red with an entire wall dedicated to the feverish colour and its corresponding 2022 book. The shop’s distorted mirror wall warps silhouettes and forges a feeling of infinity against the glamorous garms. In the entrance, hangs an enormous “V” logo LED sign and on the mannequins are delectable pieces taken straight out of the maison’s own archive (these objects of desire though, are sadly only for feasting your eyes, not for filling your closet). Chockful with a couple curated rows of racks, you can peruse through the lacy layers of the maison’s storied history; think dazzling disco-era dresses with sharp shoulder padding, suede suit sets from the Swinging Sixties, slinky naughties frocks and elaborate gowns from the last decade. It’d be remiss not to mention that the vintage Mecca is also just around the corner from Portobello Market, so grab your fashion obsessed friends and make a day of it.
Valentino Vintage sauntered onto the secondhand scene for the very first time in 2021 with a pervasive online space and four physical store takeovers. Now it’s mobilising seven global activations. Location include: Madame Pauline Vintage, Milan; The Vintage Dress, Tokyo; New York Vintage, New York; Recess, Los Angeles; Plaisir Palace, Paris; Janemarch Maison, Seoul; and of course, Rellik, London; each with its own carefully curated selection of secondhand goodies.
Bring your preloved Valentino vestures to any of the selected stores, and give them a second life by exchanging up to three items for the option to buy a new Valentino design. Making the exchange is a simple, three-step process. Here’s how it works: first the garment must be assessed by Valentino Vintage experts either in store or online, to establish a fair compensation price point based on its condition, authenticity, parent collection etc. Next, the client will receive an official Valentino voucher to the amount agreed upon in assessment. What’s really special is that whatever value the garment is given will be the full value of the voucher – no commission or hidden fees. Then all you have to do is take the voucher to a designated Valentino store and take your pick of something new.
This time around, Valentino Vintage has also announced a creative partnership with 1 Granary – the London-based education platform and incubator dedicated to providing resources and opportunities to young design talents, through content, events and interrogating the industry while offering a nurturing hand to emerging talent. Through 1 Granary, Valentino Vintage invited its student community, as well as seven fashion, design and art schools in each respective city, to join the initiative in an unprecedented manner for the Maison. By donating a curated selection of five Valentino Vintage looks to each associated school and to the online community of 1 Granary, the team-up bids to explore archival fashion as a tool for future creativity; it’s an innovative way to pass on extraordinary craftsmanship and masterful know-how, while inviting the next generation of creatives to discover the iconic codes of the maison’s artisanal craft and multidimensional aesthetic universe. Schools include IED in Milan, Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, Central Saint Martins, in London, Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, Coconogacco in Tokyo, ESMOD in Seoul and Parsons School of Design in New York. The initiative is part of an ongoing commitment to reinforce a culture of purpose dedicated to the student community, and to nourishing, empowering and safeguarding the creative powerhouses of the future.
Photography courtesy of Valentino. Discover Valentino Vintage here.
