If you’re a designer, denim nerd, or vintage head, chances are you’ve heard whispers about the legendary Vintage Showroom. The Jeansland podcast sat down with the legends themselves—Doug Gunn and Roy Luckett—for a no-holds-barred, humorous journey through vintage fashion, Portobello street smarts, and decades of denim obsession.
The story of The Vintage Showroom is the stuff of retail folklore. Picture this: two dealers meet hustling rare military jackets and old-school denim at Portobello Market in London. One of them lends the other a tarp in the pouring rain. A frosty exchange is had. Eighteen years later, they’re co-owners of one of the most respected vintage archives in the world.
“We’ve built a world for ourselves that every morning you walk in and we’re surrounded by beautiful things and we work with nice people, our customers are lovely people, so I mean it is a privilege to do.”
Karl Lagerfeld dubbed The Vintage Showroom “the place for inspiration,” and it couldn’t be more fitting. The space has been described as an immersive experience where museum-like installations and eclectic juxtapositions—think anti-G Unit suits alongside alpaca teddy-bear coats—create rich visual narratives. Tucked in a former printing warehouse in Clerkenwell, the central London showroom is a multi-level treasure trove of military gear, leather jackets, tailoring, sportswear, workwear, and of course vintage denim. It also houses an extensive womenswear collection, spanning decades of silhouettes, cuts, and craftsmanship. The archive is available only by appointment, ensuring design teams and stylists get undivided attention and time to soak in the collection.
Beyond the physical archive, the team offers TVS Images, a digital platform granting subscribers global access to thousands of high-resolution images, sorted by categories like Workwear & Denim, Tailoring, Sports & Leisure, and Militaria. It’s a virtual creative lab for those who can’t visit in person or simply prefer digital access.
Doug and Roy share how they transformed their love of vintage into a powerhouse consultancy for global fashion brands. From early days filled with zero-sales Fridays to curating collections for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch, and more, they’ve built a business that’s as much about storytelling as it is about garments.
“We’re lucky to work with incredibly creative people. I love seeing what
they do with things that they might find, an idea, in our studio and how they run with it”.
In addition to their consulting and archiving work, The Vintage Showroom has also published a series of acclaimed books that dive deep into their collection. These beautifully produced volumes offer rare insight into the garments, textiles, and design details that have made their archive so influential. Titles like The Vintage Showroom: An Archive of Menswear and its follow-ups serve as essential reference points for designers, stylists, and collectors alike, capturing the craftsmanship and context of everything from rugged military pieces to refined tailoring. Each book is a curated journey through time, showcasing standout items from the archive with detailed photography and historical commentary.
Among their many long-term collaborations, Doug and Roy spent over a decade working with Orta Anadolu, a leading Turkish denim mill. What began as a design consultancy evolved into a creative partnership—helping launch capsule collections, advising on marketing and storytelling, and even building a dedicated denim archive in Istanbul. Their work with Orta spanned everything from regenerative hemp programs to fabric research, cementing The Vintage Showroom’s place not just in fashion history, but in denim innovation too.
Their secret sauce? A deep, personal passion for product. Whether it’s a Lee 101J cowboy jacket, JFK’s original chinos, or a rare piece pulled from a long-forgotten designer archive, Doug and Roy have seen it, styled it, and probably sold it.
The duo also opens up about the joys and headaches of archiving, the evolution of the fashion industry, and what it’s really like to work together for nearly two decades (spoiler: they still make each other laugh).
