Inside Aro Archive: Shoreditch’s One-Stop Shop For Archival Fashion Finds

If you’re a London-based, archive fashion obsessive then chances are you’ve heard of (if not purchased something from) Aro Archive. Not your average vintage dealer, founder Ariana Waiata Sheehan specialises in the biggest IFKYK brands in fashion from avant-garde maestros like Maison Margiela to Japan’s greatest exports Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto. Her Broadway Market location has long been a go-to destination for anyone looking to source sartorial rarities. And while many are sure to have fond memories perusing the rails on sunny market days, this year Aro Archive are expanding with an even grander brick-and-mortar location in the heart of Shoreditch.

What was once a former Victorian fabric warehouse has been transformed into five stories of archive finds. Aro Archive’s new shop will be the one-stop destination for the company’s for-sale items. The 12,000-piece archive collection will continue to be reserved exclusively for research appointments with brands and museums due to their rarity and significance.

Each floor of the imposing location is bathed in monochromatic hues and adorned with industrial elements, reflecting the artistic grit that has come to define east London’s creative scene. Featuring repurposed design elements throughout the five floors, like reclaimed metal lamp posts from the 90s or the Maison Margiela duvets that now act as curtains for the changing rooms, every detail signals Sheehan’s labour of love at bringing the shop to life.

‘I really wanted it to feel like a chaotic version of a family home, which many of us don’t have and so many more do, but maybe don’t realise and everything in-between. It's a home full of love, colour, community, chaos and life,’ explains Sheehan in the store opening press release.

It’s this ethos that separates Aro Archive from their contemporaries. About more than just flipping clothes from the past, the store has long worked on creative projects to engage with their community. In 2019, Aro Archive hosted a showing of Wim Wenders’ Notebook on Cities and Clothes, the documentary film showing the creative process leading up to Yohji Yamamoto’s 1990 show. With an even grander space, there's no doubt we can expect bigger things from Aro Archive in the near future.

I caught up with Sheehan and Aro Archive’s head of special projects Joseph Delaney to discuss their Shoreditch takeover.

Joshua Graham: With so many archive traders going digital, why is having a physical space important?

Ariana Waiata Sheehan: There’s something so special about selling face to face, the interaction is so wholesome and interesting. Also having real time feedback is super important and a real luxury. It means we can constantly adjust and change directions to suit the customers wants and needs, and make sure we stay on top of our game.

Joseph Delaney: The evolution of the company is geared towards more community and collaboration, so offering a space for that — for people to work with us on exciting collaborative projects or just bring their laptops and have somewhere to work where they feel safe and inspired – needs to be something of brick and mortar.

JG: Why was Shoreditch the right location for this shop?

JD: Shoreditch has such a rich history of creative collaboration and is now the new hub for a particular kind of luxury retail, so it seemed like the obvious choice. It was also important for the company to remain on east London soil to stay connected to the community that’s been around it all these years.

JG: What is it about avant-garde archival fashion that makes it so captivating to fashion lovers?

AS: It’s escapism, it’s dreamy and fun! But also serious, strong and unapologetic. If you want to look like a burnt twig from hell you can. If you want to look like a pillow case from space you can. If you want to walk around taking up the space of five people because of the size of your coat, you bloody can!

JG: What is your sourcing process like?

AS: Super organic, boots on the ground hunting and gathering. We have people that source for us all around the world, and I personally spend a minimum of 4 hours a day on the internet, as well as still going to every car boot and market. We have the luxury of coming from a market/car boot background but making it out in to bigger business. The market community is like no other, so we still have support from people we used to trade with over 25 years ago who save stuff for us and point people in our direction for buying constantly.

JG: Do you have any favourite pieces in the archive?

AS: Everything! But mainly the pieces I’ve bought from memorable people or places. Things that I’ve got for cheap that are incredible, like a rubberised Yohji Yamamoto square coat from 1984. We were able to source it for a small amount and the same piece last sold at auction elsewhere for £60k.

JG: What about exceptionally rare pieces you're surprised to have?

AS: Quite a lot, again from places far and wide. We do focus on the more wearable side of design for the archive, as well as the store. This is because pieces of cultural significance or general fashion hype on the one hand sell at such a high price point, we wouldn’t be able to offer them in the store, and on other other hand people don’t rent them because their are not useful for the majority of clothing design. So we tend to buy more wearable design from a smart business point of view.