Vabrix Vintage

Ciao!

Welcome to my presale catalogue: most recent finds shown here first. The presentation is simple but the care is the same. Pieces arrive clean, steamed and carefully packed.

Tap the heart to collect the pieces you like. From the list at the top right, one tap prepares a message to me by WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram. I can answer questions, advise on fit, confirm shipping, and arrange the purchase with you directly.

About Vabrix

My name is Paula. I live and work from a small wooden home in the mountains of Southern Italy, surrounded by forest, shepherd dogs, chickens and fruit trees — an unusual way to spend your twenties, at least these days. I'm originally German; we moved here five years ago.

I had no idea, before coming here, how important Southern Italy is to vintage clothing. This region carries a deep history of tailoring, wool, leather and design — and just as deep a history of mending, handing down and reworking clothes. Much of it traces back to the years after the Second World War, when garments arriving through the port cities were sorted, repaired and worn out of necessity. Over time that survival economy became a quiet craft: knowing fabric by touch, judging construction by eye.

I don't source out of necessity — but genuinely well-made clothing has become rare and expensive to buy new. Because I live here, speak the language, and work directly with long-established local suppliers, I can find pieces that are almost impossible to buy new anymore: high-end, often Italian or European-made, sometimes handmade, in natural fibers woven thick and strong.

I run the shop from home, with a small photo studio and a steaming room where every piece is prepared. I source from specialist vintage wholesalers, local markets, and large donation markets, sorting heaps of clothing by hand — a bit of a gold rush, especially once you know where to dig.

I choose first by beauty and instinct, and just as much by quality: fabric, cut, construction, weight, repairability. Half-century-old clothing can carry small damage, but I work with people who know exactly how to bring it back — Salvatore, my hero of leather repair; Veronica, my seamstress, who can mend almost anything; and Ramon, who does the stain magic.

I also care about a piece's true age. Garments from before the 1960s are genuinely rare — many sold as older are, in truth, decades younger. And yes, for anyone wondering: are there pieces I never sell? A few. Not many — this is also how I make a living — but sometimes, well, a piece is just mine.