top heritage brands to thrift for high quality basics
your guide to finding all your wardrobe staples secondhand
When I first started thrifting, I’d focus on finding unique, statement pieces. I love these original pieces, but I don’t wear them daily.
The real shift in my shopping habits happened when I started buying my wardrobe staples secondhand.
The (pricy) promise of the ethical basic
New brands are emerging left and right in my Instagram feed selling me the perfect white cotton tee, the perfect jeans, the perfect wool knit, all made sustainably.
They all look beautiful and incredibly tempting to splurge on. But they’re not reinventing the wheel, and, honestly, they’re very expensive 🥲
Heritage brands: The old masters
Enter heritage brands: long-established brands focused on their original craftsmanship. Sometimes on the pricier side, but so easy to score for less secondhand.
Basically: the perfect compromise if you don’t feel like spending 80€+ on a white tee, but want high quality.
This is a curated list of brands to search for to find your perfect basics secondhand. It’s by no means comprehensive but should get you pretty far!
A few tips to begin
The heritage brand jackpot is to find vintage, deadstock items. Quality back in the day was almost always better. Use “vintage” and “deadstock” in your search terms.
Filter on material! And look for the label that says 100% cotton, wool, leather…
Look for where it’s made on the label
The cotton tee
Petit Bateau
Fun fact: Petit Bateau was a kids and teenager brand since its establishment in 1920 until 1990 when Claudia Schiffer walked the runway wearing a Petit Bateau white tee under her Chanel suit.
Karl Lagerfeld proved that a perfect basic goes a long way. And got Petit Bateau to develop a women’s line!
Here’s a vintage Petit Bateau t-shirt:
Or a long-sleeve option for just 10€:
Merz b. Schwanen
A German brand from 1911 renown for their loop-wheeled t-shirts. In 2008 the original Merz factory shut down. But when vintage-enthusiast Peter Plotnicki stumbled upon one of its old tees at a Berlin flea market, he tracked down the Merz heirs, and revived the label with them.
Today every piece is still entirely made in Germany.
Buying these at retail price is pricy, but luckily you can find incredible deals secondhand.
Don’t be afraid to go for Men’s shirts, like this great option for 36€:
Other brands to have on your radar to find your perfect cotton tee:
Russell Athletics (basically the tee-shirt inventor??)
Velva Sheen
The cozy knit
L.L.Bean
This outdoors heritage brand from Maine in the US has been around since 1912 and is an incredible one to shop secondhand for cotton knits of any color. I own a vintage L.L. Bean cotton red sweater I love.
I love this blue roll neck cotton number that’s just 10€ or this cream version for 17€:
Or this pink one for 5€ (how!):
Rodier
This French knitwear brand was created in 1848. It started out as a textile company and evolved into one of France’s first ready-to-wear brands in the 1950s. Their jersey fabric revolutionized women’s fashion with more comfortable, yet chic, every day clothes.
It looks like the cardigan twinset is happening. Look no further than secondhand Rodier:
Eyeing a polo sweater? This cute vintage Rodier is wool, Made in France and just 30€:
Pringle of Scotland
Now we’re going even further back in time: this brand was founded in 1815. Great to look for 100% wool and cashmere sweaters.
Fun fact: they’re actually the ones credited with inventing the “twinset”, popularized in the 1950s by one of their most famous customers, Grace Kelly.
The classic button-down shirt
Polo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren’s very first line, launched in 1967 in NYC. Shirts from this line in the 1980s-1990s are great secondhand finds—especially their “Made in U.S.A.” or “Made in Hong Kong” oxfords.
Found this 20€ pale pink classic:
Or this more colorful version (for men, which you should def be browsing for these):
Figaret
I’ve mentioned them before, but it’s impossible for me to not include them here as well. This is the brand for the poplin striped cotton button-down shirt of your dreams.
They’ve been around since the 1960s but the quality remains the same till this day, making their shirts the ideal secondhand target. I found this one about a minute into my search—so easy:
GANT
In 1914, Bernard Gantmacher arrived in New York from Ukraine at age 17 and became known as one of the most skilled shirt-makers. In 1949, he founded GANT. The brand is credited for introducing many shirt innovations, like the “back box pleat” and “collar rounding” techniques.
Love this color-block striped vintage one found on Etsy for 46€:
The trusty pair of denim jeans
Levi’s
Would this really be a post about heritage brands if I didn’t include Levi’s? It would be insulting!
We all know Levi’s but did you know they’ve been around since 1873? And that they designed the first ever female jeans under the line “Lady Levi’s” in 1934 (only took them 61 years 🫠 but kind of insane how modern they already looked)?
A small Levi’s guide for your search:
501 straight fit - Maybe their most famous model, button fly
505 regular fit - Classic straight leg, zip fly
517 bootcut - Fitted through hip and thigh, flares at ankle
550 relaxed Fit - Roomier through seat and thigh
565 loose bootcut - Relaxed fit with bootcut leg
Ask for measurements, vintage Levi’s sizes small. And look for 100% cotton!
Wrangler
Founded in 1947 when they came out with the perfect pair of denim for cowboys and rodeo riders. Does it get more American?
Found these beauties on eBay for under $60:
And these from their line Maverick for 5€ on Vinted:
Lee
Founded in Kansas in 1889, Lee was a worker-wear company that gained fame in large part thanks to their famous overalls. In 1926, they revolutionized denim design with the introduction of the zip fly, simplifying our lives forever (thank you, Lee).
The mid-season jacket
Marlboro Classics
I was confused when I first saw this brand on Vinted. Marlboro, like the cigarettes? Yes. This was a marketing initiative from the 1970s to extend Marlboro’s brand to rugged, American West lifestyle, beyond cigarettes. But it’s Italian. Weird, I agree.
But if you can look past this now highly unacceptable origin story, this search term is a treasure trove for mid-season jackets, specifically leather.
Trust me, if you’re looking for a mid-season jacket, you will find gems.
Belstaff
A British brand from the 1920s with loads of incredible deals secondhand (perhaps because it is less popular than its competitor Barbour?). Worth a search if you’re on the market for a motorcycle vest (to channel your inner Steve McQueen), a wax cotton vest, a belted safari vest.
How cool is this purple belted jacket
This more classic option is very easy to find on secondhand websites:
Wow, this was a fun fashion history crash course! I learned so much about these incredible heritage brands and hope you took away a fun fact or two as well.
Which heritage brands do you love and rely on? And what is a basic you wear on repeat that you’ve found secondhand?
If you enjoyed this post, I’d love to cover more heritage brands that are great to thrift (for coats! tailored pants! bags! shoes!)
🫶
— Laure
yeah this is one of the best secondhand articles i’ve ever seen! here’s to not gatekeeping 💕
Love the British brands includes! We have so many great ones but rare to find on Vinted, I notice :-(
Also for Ralph: good to check for counterfeits! Can usually tell by the logo, care tag, label, if not the shape of the cut and buttons (if possible to see on online photos). There’s a whole industry of knock-offs thanks to places like Mauritius and Indonesia giving the legal trademark, and I see a lot of them on Vinted. (Usually the seller has no idea either!)