Non 2026, vintage is no longer a niche: it is a central force in the global fashion system. From aesthetic aspiration to conscious purchasing decision, vintage garments and accessories dominate the collective imaginationwith strongly growing market numbers and a new generation of consumers who chooses them for sustainability, identity and real value.
Stylists are driving the trendwhich in the new collections increasingly and willingly propose revisited accessories and pieces from the past. Just take a look at the Spring-Summer 2026 fashion shows and campaigns to understand the phenomenon: the bag Executive relaunched by the new creative director Matthieu Blazy, the Mombasa new-old bag protagonist of the It Bag Saint Laurent parterre. And what about the resurgence of pumps and mules with bows, from Dior to Prada, which wink at the models of the 2000s? The stars also have a hand in it, immortalized with vintage garments on the red carpet.
Vintage fashion, the numbers 2026
A trend that is there for all to see, confirmed by the numbers. Second a recent report by BCG and Vestiaire Collectivebased on a survey conducted on 7,800 consumers from the resale platform community, the global market for used and second-hand fashion is expected to reach around 330 billion euros by 2030growing at a rate three times faster than that of fashion as we know it. A structural change, also confirmed by The Business of Fashion and McKinsey: almost 6 out of 10 consumers say they will buy second-hand clothes in 2026, with particularly strong enthusiasm among Millennials, Gen Z and Generation Alpha. Data that tells a precise reality: vintage is not nostalgia, but vision. And today, more than ever, it is territory reserved for the real connoisseurs.
Consumers who are passionate about fashion are increasingly choosing pieces with a long history and a lower environmental impact. Investments intended to last in the long termwhich allow you to stand out in a panorama dominated by fast fashion, but also by the more classic proposals of the Maison. Which?
Vintage bag, when the return to the catwalk causes prices to rise
The 2026 re-release of the Mombasa has put the spotlight back on one of the most iconic bags of the Tom Ford era. The original model dates back to the early 2000s (circa 2001/2002), when the designer transformed the horn handle into a symbol of primitive and sophisticated sensuality. Today, thanks to the contemporary relaunch and the dominant Y2K aesthetic, the prices of vintage models have literally skyrocketed. The imagery built for Spring-Summer 2026 also makes it desirable again: the campaign with Bella Hadid, shot by Glen Luchfordestablishes Mombasa still in the Olympus of It Bags.
There Executive Chanel bag has returned to the spotlight thanks to the new course by Matthieu Blazy. The good news for connoisseurs is that on the vintage market you can still find models dating back to 2014–2015, often under the two thousand euro threshold. Linear, functional, bourgeois enough: it is a less shouty Chanel, but precisely for this reason more current in 2026.
Already a protagonist of street style, the Chanel “Executive” bag in a vintage version, relaunched by Matthieu Blazy (Photo by Moritz Scholz/Getty Images).
While Louis Vuitton relaunches the Speedy (the Monogram turns 130 years old) in the current collections, the bag models remain very popular and increasingly sought after in the vintage field Louis Vuitton by Takashi Murakami. Cherries, flowers and a reinvented Monogram: pieces that tell a precise moment in the fashion of the early 2000s and which today function as true statements, suspended between pop nostalgia and collecting.
Vintage clothing, between cult and memory
Among the great vintage classics for connoisseurs they stand out the Gucci silk shirts of the 90s signed Tom Ford. Very fluid, sensual, often printed or slightly unbuttoned, they were worn by everyone at the time: Kate Moss, Madonna, the tops and icons who defined that aesthetic. In 2026 they forcefully return among the trends, perfect to wear with masculine jeans and minimal skirts.
Madonna at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards in a Tom Ford silk shirt (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images).
When Jenna Ortega showed up at the premiere of Hurry Up Tomorrow with a dress Dior by John Galliano print Gazette (Autumn-Winter 2000/2001 collection), the message was very clear: certain pieces never pass. A still very popular printmuch loved by collectors, by true experts: it is impossible not to think of Carrie Bradshaw’s slip dress in Sex and the City.
Vintage shoes that go at a fast pace
Bow pumps are officially back. We saw them on the catwalk at Prada Spring-Summer 2026, and also resurface at Dior by Jonathan Anderson, where the decorative detail becomes a graphic, almost conceptual gesture. A return that openly looks to the past and makes vintage models particularly interesting, often more balanced in proportions and construction than contemporary re-editions.
The “Soft” heeled ballet flats, a cult item from the Céline Spring-Summer 2015 fashion show (Photo: Catwalking.com/Getty Images).
For those in the know, the real shock is something else: the dancers Soft with heels seen in the parade Celine Spring-Summer 2015, designed by Phoebe Philo. An absolute cult of cultured minimalism, almost underestimated at the time, today perfectly aligned with the new desire for refined comfort. On the vintage market they are still found at competitive prices, especially when compared to the influence they continue to have. Silent but decisive shoes: those you recognize at first glance.
Vintage accessories: from the watch to the timeless scarf
Before the Labububefore the obsession with bag charms, there was Karlito. The luxury keychain plush by Fendi, presented on the catwalk in the Autumn-Winter 2014/2015 collection, was the first real statement accessory capable of transforming a bag into a narrative object. Today, more than ten years later, it is very relevant again: an “ante litteram monster” in a high fashion version, ironic and collectible.
The “Labubu” ante litteram luxury version: the “Karlito” bag charm by Fendi from the Autumn-Winter 2014/2015 fashion show (Photo: Getty Images).
Among the watches most spotted on the wrists of international trendsetters, the Tank Cartier continues to dominate. Rectangular, sober, intellectual: an icon that spans the decades without losing strength. The version vintage, metal and gold remix o with leather strap and patinated dial, it is the most desirable today. Why? It tells a story and restores that sense of unostentatious elegance which in 2026 is worth more than anything new.
It’s not an accessory, it’s a language. The Hermès carré, especially in the vintage editions, remains one of the most intelligent and transversal investments. To be worn around the neck, in the hair, tied to the bag or even as a top, it retains a cultural and artisanal value that resists fashion. In 2026, more than ever, it is the detail that distinguishes those who follow trends from those who anticipate them.
Because vintage fashion is not just a return to the past, but a more conscious way of being in the present.