Home to the biggest denim flagships and influential department stores in the world, London takes the crown for being one of the most exciting and surprising spots to shop for all things denim.
Here, U.K. denim experts share their favorite spots to nab vintage, designer and heritage jeans.
Local Tip #1
Harmony Genovese, denim consultant
Favorite stores: Vintage stores around Brick Lane
Home to vintage hot spots like House of Vintage Spitafields, Levisons Vintage Clothing, Y2K Vintage, Rokit and Hear After, the Brick Lane area of London offers variety, Genovese said, from “super authentic pieces” to more recent fashion trends. “It is so exciting because you don’t know what you will find. It is a treasure hunt, and very often to a good price,” she said.
Her best purchase is a pair of Marithé + François Girbaud heavily washed indigo 5-pocket sailor style jeans with a reconstructed waistband from Brick Lane Vintage. “The denim waistband has been cut off and replaced with tan colored cotton canvas material. It is an amazing and very special piece I bought for 55 pounds!”
Local Tip #2
Rowan Hunt, denim consultant
Favorite stores: Rivet & Hide
For denim purists, Hunt recommends Rivet & Hide for its “amazing selection of the best Japanese denim” and brands like Hiut and Sixteen. “They have original fades of the raw they stock so you can see fade potential,” he said. The store is where Hunt bought his APC and Edwin jeans and a pair of 14.5 oz. Pure Blue Japan non sanforised jeans. “I took them home, cold soaked them to get shrinkage out them. Then returned to Rivet + Hide to have them tailored to my length,” Hunt said.
Local Tip #3
Leanne Jae, Blackhorse Lane R&D wash lab manager and freelance responsible denim design and development specialist
Favorite store: Denimhand
Located in Herne Bay, Denimhand is a two-hour car ride outside of London, but it’s curated by a true fit expert, Rachel Pearce. “It is the knowledge and appreciation for good vintage,” Jae said that makes Denimhand stand out. “They just pick out what they know you will love and fit you.” Jae’s favorite purchase from the store is a pair of Levi’s 891 Orange Tab jeans from the ’90s. “They look like they were made just for me and have a beautiful mid-level fade,” she said.
Closer to London, Jae opts to “hunt down a good classic” at the vintage stores on or around Brick Lane. “I prefer smaller stores that just remember you and maintain a good rapport,” she said.
Local Tip #4
Salli Deighton, LaundRE founder
Favorite stores: Son of a Stag, The Vintage Showroom and vintage shops
A pair of ’80s deadstock Falmer flares made in the U.K. purchased in Spitalfields Market is just one example of the unique pieces Deighton has unearthed while scouring the city’s vintage stores. “We have too much great vintage in London,” she said.
Try The Vintage Showroom for “exceptional pieces,” charity/thrift stores at Coal Drops Yard for “hidden gems” and Blackhorse Lane for premium denim, she said. If you’re looking for jeans with durability and longevity in mind, go to Son of a Stag. “With all their knowledge, you get a pair of jeans that’s exactly right for you. They match the jean with the wearer and their expectations,” she said.
If you fancy a trip to the seaside, Deighton recommends Brighton’s vintage shops, independent boutiques and “the awesome Dawson Denim micro-factory store.” Fish and chips not included.
Local Tip #5
Ian Berry, artist
Favorite stores: Rivet & Hide, Son of a Stag, Clutch Café and Blackhorse Lane
Denim may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of London, but Berry said that is changing with a “steady flow of amazing shops and brands popping up as well as individuals.” Blackhorse Lane founder Han Ates is one of those key figures. Berry said Ates is “very central to the community” in Walthamstow, where the brand’s atelier is located. “[Go and see] a happy workforce [in] a rare place—a factory making craft jeans in London. It’s the only one.”
Local Tip #6
Kelly Harrington, designer, fashion forecaster, content creator, creative consultant.
Favorite stores: Beyond Retro, Selfridges and Blackhorse Lane
It takes a lot to stand out in Kelly Harrington’s enviable denim closet, but purchases from Beyond Retro, Selfridges and Blackhorse Lane do just that. Highlights include a pair of vintage 501 Levi’s jeans from the early 2000s sourced at Beyond Retro and 7 For All Mankind’s (7FAM) Tess straight leg jean from Selfridges. “The vintage Levi’s have that perfectly worn-in feel, while the 7FAM jeans are a perfect modern style,” she said. Her next purchase, she said, might be Blackhorse Lane women’s E10 Classic Straight Washed Indigo jeans.
“Between the vintage gems, extensive brand selection, and craft denim, these three stores offer my ultimate denim shopping experience in London for different styles and aesthetics,” Harrington said.
Local Tip #7
Mohsin Sajid, creative director of Endrime and Denim History
Favorite stores: Clutch Café, Dover Street Market, Selfridges, Liberty, Levisons, Blackhorse Lane, Son of a Stag, Spitalfields Market, Notting Hill Market and Goodhood.
Knowledgeable staff, a selection of good denim, magazines and a place to sit down are the hallmarks of a top-tier denim shopping experience, according to Sajid. Son of a Stag covers it all, he added, with superb service and a curated selection of denim from around the world.
Go to Clutch Café for the best denim brands from Japan and “superb coffee,” Dover Street Market for “cool top-end brands” and to Spitalfields Market on Thursday mornings for vintage Europe workwear. “I drop cash every time I attend—some of the rarest pieces in my archive,” he said. Or, for access to 2,000 vintage pieces, check out Sajid’s Endrime Studio in Crawley (a.k.a. “the coolest town” near Gatwick Airport), he added.