Berlin second hand shopping guide
I'm Lea, a student from Berlin and new at SoSue! In my first article, I'll tell you about my crazy change in 2020 and what it has to do with the second-hand shopping scene in Berlin. Viva la Vintage!
Basically, any day of the year is suitable to check everyday life for areas of improvement and possibly change a few things. Traditionally, however, this process falls on the turn of the year, and even though I actually find resolutions terribly cheesy and especially hate the question about them, in recent years I couldn't help but ask myself what I can, want, and will change. Most of my plans established themselves long-term: For 2017, I decided to give up meat, in 2018 to take cold showers every day, in 2019 to read at least two books per month... All these changes have survived until today. So in 2020, I wanted to create a resolution that only applies to this one year – and therefore might be a bit more challenging than its predecessors – and decided to tackle a long-standing unfinished business: reconciling my great love for fashion with the desire to lead a consistently sustainable lifestyle. After having trained for three years at Closed under Sue, I know how fashion must be produced to meet sustainable standards – and above all, what it should cost to properly compensate everyone involved in the value chain. So I no longer want to buy cheap, but truly fair prices are difficult to reconcile with my student budget in the long run. A solution is obvious: second-hand shopping! As a person living in Berlin, this is now almost easier to do than buying new – because the vintage selection is huge. Nevertheless, in the past, I occasionally got carried away by the affordability and pretty shop windows of the cheap fashion giants. To put an end to this nonsense once and for all, my new resolution should be both training and foundation, and I decided: 2020 will be the year in which I don't buy a single new piece of clothing (underwear excluded). In three months, it's done, so I don't want to draw a final conclusion here yet, but will share it with you at the end of the year. To survive until now, I have found every tiny secondhand paradise in the capital and now want to share the results of my research with you. So here comes my SoSue Secondhand Shopping Guide!
1: The Winner: Neu Zwei
To prevent anyone from possibly not finishing this guide and therefore missing the star of Berlin's secondhand scene, I have to start right away with my favorite: Neu Zwei. The shop is a beautiful old building store on Weserstraße in Neukölln with lovely interior and creaky floorboards. Here, there are only very carefully selected pieces, which prevents a visit from becoming overwhelming. Still, you will always find something! And overall, the whole shopping experience around Neu Zwei is great, and afterwards, the wonderful cafés nearby invite you to settle in.
2: The Fashion Treasure: Sommerladen
Vintage shopping traditionally means not shying away from a long search, being ready to dig through huge piles of clothes to discover the real treasures. If you absolutely don't feel like that, Sommerladen in Berlin-Mitte is the right place for you. Here, there are only very selected pieces, all purchased by the store owner Johanna Mattner. The former stylist has an excellent network in fashion and often gets very rare pieces. I regularly snag items here from past Lala Berlin or Jil Sander seasons!
3: The Good Mix: The Good Store
At The Good Store, the in-house, remarkable collection is combined with vintage classics. You won't find piles of clothes here; the store is more like a concept store. The design is minimalist, and in front of the large mirror, surrounded by beautiful plants, you feel like you can take all the time in the world in this store. The owner Gerda is often on site herself and honestly advises her customers. It's not just about selling here – you'll also hear from her if a pair of jeans doesn't fit as it should.
4: The Classic: Picknweight
Picknweight is the Berlin classic among secondhand shops. Here, the weight of the selected items determines the price. Nowadays, this vintage paradise can also be found in other cities like London, Munich, or Hamburg. We in Berlin have a total of five stores, but wherever you visit Picknweight: bring plenty of time, the stores are huge and you have to dig through a bit to find the real treasures. My absolute favorite store for Levis jeans!
5: The Romantic: Veist Kleidergeschichten
Clothes make the person, as the saying goes... and also stories! Veist Kleidergeschichten has been at home since 2011 in the trendy Neukölln Schillerkiez. What's special here? Almost every piece comes with a story that can be read on the label. You shouldn't just stop by to "have a look," because you will really fall in love with at least one (up to twenty) of the beautiful items. And of course with the story behind it. I visit Veist regularly because the assortment changes almost monthly.
6: The Luxurious One: Soeur
Here, haute couture lovers especially get their money's worth. At Soeur, all kinds of pieces from the big names are displayed on beautiful wooden furniture: Miu Miu, Prada, Chanel – all from at least this decade. The incredibly friendly service and cozy, quiet atmosphere make the store indispensable for Berliners.
7: The Colorful One: Vintage Revival
Since I lived for a long time in Prenzlauer Berg, I often stopped by the shop Vintage Revival located there. All items are sorted by color here, which I loved because I categorically exclude some colors from my wardrobe, saving a lot of time. Also, Vintage Revival doesn't join the many secondhand shops where items sometimes seem almost more expensive than the new price. Here, you can really snap up things in good condition at a reasonable price!
8: The All-Rounder: Fast Neu
Fast Neu is a very small, owner-run secondhand shop where, with a bit of luck, you can really cover every section of your wardrobe: summer, winter, bargains, or treasures! Many mid-priced labels are especially at home here, e.g., Cos and American Vintage.
9: The Avant-Garde King: The New Black
"The New Black" has taken the nowadays classic path almost backwards: starting with an online shop, the owners now focus on the brick-and-mortar store in Berlin Mitte. Not a bad decision! Here, especially lovers of the avant-garde minimalism movement of the 90s will find what they're looking for. Pieces by Helmut Lang, Comme-Des-Garcons, Jil Sander, and many other great designers are brought back to life, making "The New Black" our "last but not least" in the SoSue Berlin secondhand guide.
Happy shopping! And next week we'll take you through Hamburg's coolest secondhand store!
About the author:
Hi, I'm Lea, your new SoSue correspondent from Berlin. I'm studying media studies here at the master's level and love the capital because it combines all my interests: politics, art, and fashion! I especially enjoy jogging through the Tiergarten on Saturdays and then settling down with a good book for breakfast at the literature café. The rest of the day's plans are gladly taken care of by Berlin itself; you just have to go with the flow. And that's the wonderful thing here: anything goes, nothing is a must! I'm excited to take you along. Let's go! Instagram: leasophiexyz
