Everyone wants to get in on the game. In recent years, the trendiest celebrities of the moment have taken en masse to sourcing archival pieces from John Galliano’s Dior era (1996-2011), Tom Ford’s Gucci (1994-2004), Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel (1983-2019) as well as original pieces from designers who helped to define particular eras, such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler and Alexander McQueen. Think Bella Hadid at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in trio of Gianni Versace gowns from the ’80s or more pointedly, Kim Kardashian donning Marilyn Monroe’s Bob Mackie-designed dress at this year’s Met Gala.
Bella Hadid and her archival flex for this year’s Cannes Film Festival, in a Versace dress from the Fall/Winter 2003 collection which is crafted in silk georgette and with satin ribbons criss-crossing across the front and back in a corset shape.
One could say vintage is on fire – and it definitely is, going by most metrics. But it’s also fashion from a specific subset within the vast field of vintage that’s been gaining traction; while there is no hard definition, archival clothing is generally agreed to be designs hailing from a particularly pivotal era or collection from a designer’s oeuvre.
The buying process for archival fashion is one that tends to come with a sense of intention and selectiveness. Research and education are a big part of the process, regardless of which designer’s temple one chooses to pray at. As Alfred Bong, 22, one of the three co-founders of archival specialist store Milieu points out: “I don’t think any random piece from a designer qualifies; at the end of the day, I think the garment in question should have some sort of (cultural or career-making) significance other than just looking cool or pretty.”
Alfred Bong (right) and Kai Jun Leong are two of the three co-founders of Milieu. Their third partner Leon Lim is not pictured here.
“I think the main thing is that, if you look at certain pieces by themselves, they might look very plain or simple. But there is a backstory behind it that often doesn’t get spoken about to the consumer,” adds Bong, whose store opened at The Adelphi in January this year.
“Therefore I think it’s important for us to have that stance and platform where we can talk about the history and context behind a particular design or collection – because that’s the most important way you can understand how a piece came to be.”