The $50 market find that sparked a 1000-piece vintage fashion obsession

Everything old is new again, with vintage clothing now a key element of the global fashion industry. Here, three local collectors reveal what drives their passion.

Once, you could find rare fashion items in the local op shop. But today, it’s unlikely you’ll discover a coveted designer label from the 1980s, ’90s and early noughties under a stack of old clothes dropped off at a charity store. Clothes from this era are now referred to collectively as “vintage”, and it’s become one of the strongest growth areas in fashion worldwide. Here, three Australian collectors discuss the thrill of building their vintage fashion treasure troves.

The founder of Déclic, a men’s clothing and accessories business in Melbourne and Sydney, has been immersed in fashion and design since he started his business in the late 1980s. His warehouse-style home in South Yarra, Melbourne, is filled with suits, shirts and hundreds of ties that capture the history of fashion through the decades.

The ties include those from New York designer Gene Meyer, along with Moschino, Hubert de Givenchy, Piero Fornasetti, Dolce & Gabbana and Hedi Slimane, with Slimane heralding the return of the narrow tie and silhouette for men in 2000. A knitted panelled shirt from Comme des Garçons from the early 1990s also appears in his collection, along with a pristine white shirt by Viktor & Rolf with its original swing tags. A rack of suits by Versace, Paul Smith and Zegna, also from this period, stands nearby, with many of the ties kept in a vintage suitcase or in boxes in the basement.

A Dolce & Gabbana tie from the early ’90s includes a racy image of a female from the 1950s, concealed on the tipping (the lining at the end). “When I was working, I’d always wear a suit and tie,” says Du Puy. “Now these pieces act as touchstones to my past as much as reflecting each period.”

He also recalls the impact that certain films had on fashion: “Remember Michael Douglas in Wall Street and the power image his character [Gordon Gekko in the late 1980s film] portrayed, as well as his brashness?” Pleated trousers, braces and wide ties all became popular as a result.

This overly confident attitude of “anything is possible” is reflected in the width (up to nine centimetres) of many of the ties displayed on the oak table in his own library. “Hedi Slimane made a similar impact with his narrow ties, ushering in a time of considerably more restraint,” he says.

While Du Puy has since sold Déclic, he still loves visiting great vintage stores in Paris. He sees the “thirst” of Parisian shoppers hunting for vintage pieces, i