Vintage fashion theft hit as shoplifting booms
BBCYou wouldn't steal a handbag, even if it were second-hand?
The vintage clothing industry has boomed since the pandemic, thanks to the rise of second-hand fashion apps and a shift towards sustainable fashion.
As of 2026, over one quarter of UK fashion transactions are second-hand, with the resale sector worth £7bn to the economy, research from OC&C Strategy Consultants has found.
But vintage traders are fast becoming victims of their own success, they say. Sellers on Portobello Road have told BBC London how a rising tide of retail theft is threatening their livelihoods.
"People don't want to go rob the Chanel store or the Gucci shop. The money is now with the vintage pieces," explains Charlotte Cohu, director of Lovers Lane Ltd.
This independent vintage store, founded by Charlotte and her mother Kimberley in 2021, specialises in "archival pieces" from top fashion houses like Gucci, Chanel and Givenchy.
Over the last three years, Lovers Lane London has been subject to a series of increasingly violent break-ins, culminating in a "ram-raid" attack last October, in which thousands of pounds worth of bags and clothes were stolen.
In the middle of the night, three men on motorbikes drove into the steel-lined door before forcing open a two-tonne shutter with "fireman equipment" and sledgehammers, the owners explained.
The destruction was so severe that Charlotte and Kimberley were forced to close the store for more than a month, with losses totalling £400,000.
"These aren't just opportunists," says Kimberley. "This is with the organised crime unit."
Half a mile up the road, traders at Portobello Road market work in the open air, with no bricks and mortar between them and the shoplifters.
For Khalid Ainsworth, who started selling vintage clothes at the age of 15, every stolen item makes a difference.
"It wasn't too long ago I lost a £300 pair of jeans," says Khaled, "so that was a bit painful. But life is life; you've got to keep moving."
Like Charlotte and Kimberley, Khalid has a clear picture of what's driving the rise in theft. "There's always been a sense of organisation behind it, but now it's a lot more obvious."
According to the Office for National Statistics, shoplifting reached a record high in 2025, a fact experts have linked to the growing involvement of organised crime.
Andrew Goodacre, chief executive officer of the British Independent Retail Association, says gangs are recruiting vulnerable people with addiction problems to carry out retail theft.
"They're like a little army of professional shop thieves who are paid in cash - or more likely in drugs - and are stealing to order on behalf of organised criminals."
Goodacre agrees that vintage sellers are particularly vulnerable to the threat but also warns that the use of second-hand trading apps by criminals "is in danger of damaging their market". He says smaller sellers buying clothes online have a responsibility to watch out for stolen goods which may come from high-end stores like Lovers Lane London.
Faced with this sophisticated threat, Kimberley and Charlotte are not taking any chances. "We've upped our security. We're Fort Knox," jokes Kimberley.
But even more important in keeping Lovers Lane alive has been the support of the tight-knit Portobello Road community: "The outpouring of kindness and support - that was the best part of humanity."
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