The Vintage Reborn market stall. Pic: Marlen Kremer.

The basement of  Brick Lane Vintage Market is filled with tourists and hipster fashionistas inspecting designer labels and lesser known names from decades past.

Among the stalls is The Vintage Reborn, which showcases the special passion of owner Shirley Cecile: hand picked clothes from well known Italian designer labels such as Moschino and Versace from the 80s and 90s.

Owner of The Vintage Reborn Shirley Cecile. Pic: Shirley Cecile.

Her passion for fashion is rooted in the design skills of her grandmother: “My grandparents came over from Mauritius in the 60s. They didn’t have any money, you know, my grandmother used to make all the clothes, so it’s very bespoke, and I’ve always loved vintage clothes because I used to dress up in her clothes, and it was always very well made.”

One of Shirley’s vintage favourites from Young Versace. Pic: Marlen Kremer.

But her interest in Italian design vintage clothes came from Italian students : “My grandparents lived in Islington and we had a very big house, and we used to rent it out to Italian students. And they dressed amazing. But I think it’s nice to mix it up. Mixing designer with vintage because it looks better.”

She values high quality clothes: ‘’You can tell the difference between a really good Levi’s denim jacket from the 80’s in comparison to a denim jacket from nowadays because the material is very different.”

She is careful to check the origins of every piece she includes in her shop: “My stuff is a bit more pricey. It can be anything from ten pounds if I’m having a kilo sale or something, but I go up to about 500 to 600 pounds per piece. I think it’s within everyone’s price range. Even if it’s not designer it is really well made. I like to know where my clothes come from.”

The Vintage Reborn stall at Brick Lane Vintage Market. Pic: Marlen Kremer.

And her message to customers: “If you love designer vintage, then this is definitely the place for you to come to because you will find something. (…) it’s all very well made and very well loved. [But] only come if you’re going to look after it.”

Follow The Vintage Reborn on Instagram or visit the staff at the Brick Lane Vintage Market, E1 6RL, Thursdays to Sundays.