13 London Thrift Stores For The Best Posh & Preloved Shopping
Do you love a sustainable bargain?
Rhetorical question, we know…especially since you’re reading this.
But seriously, what’s better than updating your ‘robe with thrifted threads, knowing you’re helping to curb the truckload of clothes that hits the landfill every.single.second?
With bustling markets, chic boutiques, and reworked vintage brands, London charity shops and thrift stores are the plaid jacket to the skinny blue jeans, or rather the slow fashion solution to the eco-conscious fashionista.
So if you’re wondering which London second-hand shops are most worthy of your time, this list is for you.
New to thrifting?
No matter, our thrift shopping tips can set you up for success. And if you want to learn more about how thrifting avoids fast fashion, sift through to the last rack.
Ready to pop some tags?
QUICK LINKS TO THE BEST THRIFT STORES IN LONDON
1. ROKIT
The stalwart of London’s vintage scene, Rokit was born in London’s iconic Camden Market back in 1986.
Today there are four stores in tourist hotspots across the city, all offering a huge collection of men’s and women’s vintage clothing.
With hundreds of new pieces added every week as well as their in-house reworked brand, Rokit Originals, it’s one of the best thrift stores in London for discovering one-of-a-kind pieces.
Location: Online or Brick Lane, Camden, and Covent Garden
2. BEYOND RETRO
If bargain hunting is the name of the game, then you’ll want to play that game at Beyond Retro.
You can rummage through vintage sportswear, dresses, t-shirts, and jeans, and peruse their outlet section where you can thrift one-off wonders from £1 all year round.
If you have vintage clothing to rehome, its in-store exchange program lets you swap your unwanted items for store credit. Yet another reason why we consider this one of the best thrift shops in London.
Location: Online or Brick Lane, Dalston, and Soho
3. TRAID
Founded in 1999, TRAID is a UK thrift store come charity shop on a mission to tackle the environmental and social woes of the textile industry.
Its clothes recycling project is a mammoth undertaking. Each week TRAID’s London warehouse transforms over 11,000 donated items into in-house quality stock for its stores.
If you’re looking for high-end London thrift stores, their shop on Westbourne Grove is one of the best for designer steals. Otherwise, pop by one of their other 13 locations (from Wood Green to Walthamstow) for more top shelf second hand clothing options.
Location: eBay, depop or in-stores across London
4. ATIKA LONDON
Vintage department store Atika is one of the biggest thrift stores in London.
With over 20,000 items of vintage clothing on offer, you’ll find t-shirts, jackets, skirts, bags, sneakers, and UK’s sustainable swimwear offerings to rifle through for the next millennium whilst admiring the industrial interior (it was an old furniture factory in a former life) in Spitalfields.
Their in-house reworked brand, REMIX, creates trend-led clothing from vintage and deadstock fabrics. Designed and made in London, it’s bold, refreshing, and sustainably chic.
Location: Spitalfields
5. CAMDEN MARKET
No best London thrift stores list would be complete without featuring the iconic Camden Market.
An unapologetic mix of eclectic shops and second-take stalls, it’s the epitome of thrift shopping London style.
Head to the Stables Market for vintage clothes shopping and then refuel at one of the international street food vans on Camden Lock.
Camden market is open every day of the week, from 10am ‘till late.
Location: Camden
6. CRISIS CHARITY SHOP, FINSBURY PARK
Mark Crisis as your go-to for quality vintage and pre-loved fashion pieces.
Their nine London thrift stores (in Croydon, Camberwell, Dalston, Hackney, Hammersmith, Islington, and Peckham) raise proceeds all in support of their work in helping the homelessness liberate themselves from poverty.
And if you’re looking for a London thrifting experience ala coffee break, head to the Finsbury Park branch. With its drink bar, bright interior, and colorful displays, it’s a great place to meet a friend while comparing pre-loved finds together.
Location: In-stores across London
7. OXFAM BOUTIQUE, WESTBOURNE GROVE
The Oxfam Boutique on Westbourne Grove is one of many high-end thrift stores in London worth a visit if you’re partial to the odd label.
Located just off the famous Portobello Road, the Oxfam Boutique stocks hard to find second-hand brands.
Thanks to generous local donors, you’ll find several designer pieces on the racks from the likes of Chanel, Dior, and Gucci.
Money spent will support the charity’s mission to end global poverty.
Location: Notting Hill
8. FARA
Type “thrift shops London” into your search bar and Fara will no doubt be one of the first suggestions.
From Belsize Park to Battersea, their 41 shops across the city, including 15 Fara Kids Shops, are much-loved contributors to the London’s second-hand clothing scene.
If you’re into vintage then the Retromania store is the emporium of retro pieces you’ve been waiting for in the heart of Victoria.
Proceeds from all of their stores go towards helping disadvantaged children in Romania.
Location: In-stores across London
9. PICKNWEIGHT
Stand out from the crowd and enjoy a novel thrifting experience in London with Picknweight.
Its namesake points to their practice of selling vintage threads by the kilo (because who would buy less than a 1000 grams worth of clothing…).
With stores in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, and Munich as well as in Covent Garden, you’ll find an eclectic collection of past-time wear from the 50s to the 00s.
Their (RE)COLLECTION pieces are in-house designer duds sewn from recycled vintage clothing, making Picknweight one of the best second-hand clothes shops in London.
Location: Covent Garden
10. MARY’S LIVING AND GIVING SHOPS
For more boutique vibes, Mary’s Living and Giving have some of the best London thrift stores for unearthing designer pieces while supporting a heart-warming cause.
Set up with the help of retail guru Mary Portas, proceeds from the shops are directed to Save the Children.
Shout out to their pretty Primrose Hill thrift store, which is no stranger to high-end and vintage sporting locales.
Location: In-stores across London
11. SHELTER BOUTIQUE SHOPS
Shelter Boutiques are unapologetic high-end thrift stores in London.
14 charity boutiques to be exact.
But we must call out their Hampstead Heath location which offers some of the best for up-market high street and London vintage clothing one-offs.
You’ll also find footwear, accessories, retro homeware and second-hand books to peruse.
Proceeds help fund Shelter’s work supporting the homeless and improving poor living conditions.
Location: In-stores across London
12. OCTAVIA FOUNDATION
Located on some of London’s most famous fashion streets, Octavia has 14 pop-charity stores across central and west London.
Situated in the heart of the French Quarter, its South Kensington boutique is one to hit if you’re into Parisienne chic. You might just get lucky and find something from the likes of Yves Saint Laurent and Céline.
Proceeds support their work helping people affected by ill health, social isolation, low income, or unemployment.
Location: In-stores across London
13. Royal Trinity Hospice
Reliable and easy to access, there’s a good chance The Royal Trinity Hospice will have a London thrift store near you.
With 19 of their shops dotted around the capital, and an online shop too, you’ll be hard pressed not to bump into one.
Their Islington, Kensington, and Portobello branches are three notable mentions for uncovering high-end designer pieces at pleasing prices.
Location: In-stores across London
WHY VISIT THRIFT SHOPS IN LONDON?
We know the fast fashion industry has a lot to answer for.
Our consumption of clothing has increased by a staggering 400% in the last two decades, while at the same time, it’s being discarded at a similar rate.
In fact, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created each year.
So, it makes sense that sustainable fashion requires us to keep clothing in circulation for as long as possible.
And that’s where thrifting comes in.
Along with online clothing rental and keeping a minimalist wardrobe, buying second-hand is a simple way to break out of the fast fashion trap.
And fortunately for the fashion-conscious, thrifting doesn’t mean you have to compromise on style. As our roundup of the best London thrift stores demonstrates, there’s plenty of pre-loved come cat-walk-worthy attire out there if you know where to look.
And if you can’t get out to thrift in person, there’s always an online thrift store you can shop from the cozy comfort of your sustainable couch.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON LONDON THRIFT STORES
Buying new clothes and modeling clothing combinations is fun for us humans.
But is it fun for the planet?
Not so much.
Thankfully, where there’s a goodwill, there’s a way.
The wealth of pre-loved garb means that embracing slow fashion doesn’t have to mean forgoing retail therapy or switching up styles.
If you want something new-to-you, that doesn’t cost the planet (or your sustainable wallet) then thrift shopping is a fun way to revamp your wardrobe without the eco-nsequences.
Just don’t forget in all your secondhand excitement to return the favor by donating clothes you no longer wear. If you’re like most UK residents, you haven’t touched more than 26% of your wardrobe in the last year, so help that other 74% do some good by taking a moment to sign the Preloved Donation Pledge created by the homelessness charity, Shelter.
They’re on a mission to “sustainable fashion community together to give unwanted clothing a new lease of life in the fight for home“, but they need your help.
And if you plan on thrift flipping then do so in a mindful sustainable way.
We think thrift shopping London (and zero waste shopping London, too) is the cat’s pajamas (ethical pajamas, of course).
So if you know any sustainable fashionistas heading to London (or locals for that matter), share this article to spread the word about the capital’s best #thrifthaul spots.
