Blog 2: Societal Relevance of Inequality in Access to Thrifting and Vintage Markets in London

The issue of unequal access to vintage and thrift markets in London reflects broader societal patterns of economic inequality, gentrification, and cultural commodification. What was once a grassroots, community-oriented practice rooted in affordability and sustainability has increasingly become part of a commercial trend that excludes the very communities that helped build it. As vintage shopping becomes more aestheticised and popularised on social media, it has also become more profitable - and therefore less accessible to lower-income individuals.

Thrift culture has long been associated with necessity - a way to access affordable clothing when other options were financially out of reach. For working-class communities, charity shops, flea markets, and second-hand stalls historically offered an essential alternative to high street retailers. However, as London’s vintage scene has become fashionable and marketable, these spaces have transformed into curated experiences for middle- and upper-class consumers. Prices have risen, and the original purpose of providing affordable fashion has been sidelined.

In the case of London, the so called process, “gentrification of thrifting” can also, in many cases, be connected to urban gentrification.

• Take Portobello Road Market, for example: 

• In the mid-1800s it was a semi-rural lane with market stalls selling fruit, vegetables, and basic goods to working-class residents.

• The post-war (​​WWII) shift, especially during the 1950s-60s brought in antique dealers, brick-a-brack objects, and tresure hunters, while still offering low-prices. The rummage-and-bargain atmosphere sometimes even resembled the informal carboot sales.

• As Notting Hill gentrified, in 1980-2000, the visibility of the area increased (helped by pop culture, e.g. the film Notting Hill in 1999), drawing in tourists, higher-end shoppers, and more curated antique vendors. This resulted in the currently high-end market of today, being less about dusty finds and more about curated, expensive vintage.

Portobello Road Market - Notting Hill (Source: Portobello Road, Portobello Market)

• Then there’s the Vintage Market of Hackney, which sits in a space of transition. The artsy setting of Hackney established a similarly unique thrifting scene, a lot different from Portobello Road Market, but still representing key themes regarding inequality. Hackney is currently undergoing intense gentrification, and the market reflects this shift:

• The post industrial Hackney, around the 1980s was a predominantly working-class borough, However in the 2000s parts of it became dominated by creatives and the indie culture. These communities established the independent and affordable thrifting scene, defined by young, informal traders and Y2K pieces.

• Very swiftly. however, this hub grew into a highly curated, “Instagrammable” identity. Unlike Portobello Road Market, it skipped straight to a curated asthetic and hence the prices began climbing fast.

• In the case of Hackney Vintage Market, even though the original spirit was about reclaiming affordability (and sustainability), now it rather represents an exclusively alternative vibe (although still placing under the fully gentrified market scene of Notting Hill in price).

Hackney Vintage Market - Hackney (Source: Metro Guides, Hackney Flea Market)

• Finally, in Barking and Dagenham, one of London’s least gentrified boroughs, car boot sales remain grounded in affordability. 

• Carboot sales popped up in the area as informal, community-based markets by the 1980s–90s, offering an easy way for people to make a bit of extra cash by selling unwanted goods, secondhand clothes, tools, DVDs, homeware, and more.

• Unlike Portobello Road Market or Hackney, prices in Barking and Dagenham’s boot sales are still extremely low, catering for low-income communities, from the very beginning.

• Carboot sales are often overlooked in sustainability conversations because they lack the aesthetic appeal of more central markets, but they serve a vital role in local economies, and for those excluded elsewhere and provide access to clothing, homeware, and furniture.

Bonzer Carboot Sale - Barking and Dagenham (Source: Car Boot Sale in Dagenham, London)

These three stages show how second-hand fashion, once an equaliser, can replicate and even deepen inequality. The second-hand markets of London represent a sad irony: second-hand shopping is increasingly defined as a privilege, not a right. Mainly for lower-income communities, but also for young people, being pushed out of these markets means being pushed back into fast fashion cycles, reinforcing the financial differences and also creating a sustainability divide.

Understanding this dynamic is crucial, not only for how we approach fashion but for how we think about inclusion, urban development, and cultural access in a city like London.