7 defunct brands that you should have on your vintage radar
vintage brands still at a reasonable price on Beyonce's internet
Fashion’s worst trait is how quickly we move on to the next big thing. There are so many trailblazing brands from yesteryear that have been all but forgotten. And while that is an indictment on the recency bias of the industry, it also serves as the perfect breeding ground to quietly acquire a sizable closet of vintage gems. The truly stylish know that “new” is rarely better, just louder. And the best-kept secrets are often those with discontinued labels. These brands are in that perfect middle ground of time where they were produced when people still expected things to hold up in the wash— but are old enough that the people around today who remember them are not trying to supplement their income on Depop by charging an exorbitant price.
Here’s a list of brands you should be quietly adding to your arsenal before they inevitably blow up on TikTok and get lost in the hypebeast sauce:
🛍️ Contempo Casuals
Ah, Contempo Casuals — the name alone conjures a certain West Coast optimism and a desire to rewatch Clueless (Contempo was used for costuming in several scenes). Founded in the 1960s and peaking in the ‘80s and ‘90s, this was the brand that defined mall-glam for girls who weren’t afraid of a little lycra, a lot of shoulder, and just enough edge to make your mother nervous. Yes, it was bought out by Wet Seal (double homicide) and yes, it produced its fair share of rayon disasters, but hear me out: the good Contempo pieces are architectural, strange, and full of personality.
If you’re into the kind of off-kilter 80s silhouettes that Demna is trying to recreate at Balenciaga (minus the nihilism), Contempo has gold waiting for you. Think exaggerated shoulders, ruched jersey dresses, power blouses with exaggerated collars, and high-waisted pleated pants. The best part? No one’s clocking your Contempo — so you get all the insider cachet of vintage without the exhausting price tag of a Jean Paul Gaultier hunt.
The irony is that this brand — once shorthand for “mall fashion” — now reads as chic and niche, especially if you pair it with modern accessories and a sense of humor. A cropped Contempo jacket over a Rick Owens tank top? A moment. Or wear one of their ultra-80s day dresses with New Balance dad sneakers and watch the Gen Zers silently take notes.
It’s democratic, dramatic, and dying to be pulled out of obscurity. Bonus points if you find a tag still intact.
🕶️ Emmanuelle Khanh
Long before oversized eyewear became the calling card of every downtown gallery girl, Emmanuelle Khanh was designing clothes — and glasses — for women who read Barthes but still liked a good lapel. Khanh, a former model turned designer, was part of the 1960s French ready-to-wear revolution, breaking with haute couture’s fussy constraints in favor of playful proportions, bold colors, and yes — eyewear that was big enough to have its own zip code.
Khanh’s aesthetic was cerebral but never pretentious. Her clothing walks this perfect tightrope between quirky and controlled — sharp tailoring with exaggerated collars, safari jackets with architectural seaming, and blouses that feel as fresh as anything Jacquemus is putting on the runway now. There’s a kind of Parisian mod-futurism at play: think André Courrèges meets Marni, with a bit of pre-Agnès B. softness for good measure.
What makes vintage Khanh pieces so covetable is their ability to telegraph personality without shouting. You don’t wear Emmanuelle Khanh to impress — you wear it because you already know who you are and you’re not afraid to take up space.
Her name may not be on every trend cycle’s lips, but fashion historians and savvy stylists keep her pieces in steady rotation. Which means if you spot a Khanh trench or a crisp shirt with embroidered flourishes in a vintage shop, do not hesitate. That’s not just a shirt. That’s a conversation starter.