Vintage fashion remains in high demand – with people wanting a slice of history as much as reducing the need for additional landfill. And while some valuable designer items can be discovered by chance in the odd secondhand or vintage store, buyers in the know readily pay hefty prices for clothes and accessories designed by Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons, Junya Watanabe and others.

In Japan, from where this writer has just returned, the mission was in part to discover great archival vintage fashion. There was a one-hour train trip from Osaka to La Grande Leu. Up some dodgy stairs in a grimy warehouse, the showroom opened to racks of Yohji Yamamoto clothes from the 1990s to the early noughties.

Dot Comme at Curtin House, Melbourne, is a treasure trove for vintage fashion.

Other stops included visiting the online business Playful, in Tokyo, where a large team prepares designer goods to ship around the world. And there wouldn’t be many stores as difficult to find as the Archive Store in Shibuya, Tokyo, where the basement showcases museum-quality designer clothing, with prices to match. For those willing to invest in collectable vintage fashion, the prices are impressive.

However, those not prepared to travel to Japan to discover these vintage........

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