“At Holala we have been dedicating the last 40 years to our passion, vintage clothes and recycling. We travel over the whole world, visiting all the flea markets and the textile recycling industry to be able to carefully handpick the unique and best pieces of our taste, one by one.” Says Holala, one of the most recognized vintage shops in Barcelona.

The vintage scene has been gaining strength in recent years. At first people bought objects and vintage clothes because it was what they could afford, the cost of these items or objects was cheaper than any other. However this activity of going between markets and shops looking for unique, special and different garments was becoming more interesting for those who want to to stand out from the main stream.

In Barcelona most of the vintage shops are located in the neighborhood el Raval, walking down the street of Tallers, you can find all kinds of garments, from Hawaiian shirts for men to leather leggings from the 80’s or military coats from the 70’s in contrast to the glamor of items from the 50’s. Enter each store is like going in search of an unknown treasure found only when it’s viewed.

In contrast with the popularity of vintage fashion, in an interview with BBC, the English designer Colette Costello says the vintage fashion market is over saturated “The market is becoming a bit saturated. Quite often an event will say it is vintage but you go along and see they’ve adopted the word vintage to sell second hand.” Also threatening this market is the issue of cost, “Even if you go back two or three years you used to get real bargains. You could bid on old furniture on eBay and get it for 99p, now the same items are £60 or £70,”says Estelle Riley owner of a vintage store in UK.

“It’s kind of inevitable that the bubble will burst but vintage will still be here because people will still be interested in beautiful old things.” Is the case of Holala, that when passing a Friday afternoon offers a bit of music, DJs, art and a good time to talk in front of their window full of eclecticism, color and personality.

Vintage stores in Barcelona:

Holala, Plaza Castella, 2

Lullaby, Riera Baixa, 22

Flamingos Vintage Kilo, Tallers, 68

Humana Vintage, Asturies 41

Camden Garage, Tallers (new opening).

Camden Garage, Tallers.