The 6 best second-hand shops in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges and Leuven
Vintage clothing upside down and sustainable at the same time? These are our favorite second-hand shops in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges and Leuven.
As a student, it never hurts to save a little money here and there. Thrift stores are the perfect solution: you will find quality clothing for a lower price. In addition, it is also super durable because you used things that would otherwise have been in the trash. We only see benefits in it.
Thanks to the fact that second-hand shops have become more popular in recent years, they are springing up like mushrooms. For those who can no longer handle the large selection, here is an overview of what we think are the best shops in your student city.
1. Bison 4
(Brussels)
Lovers of vintage streetwear can indulge themselves in Bison 4. Done with searching all the second-hand sites for vintage Nike, Adidas or The North Face items, they all want to hang out here on a few square meters. The shop in Verversstraat may be small, but the space is filled with streetwear treasures from the selection of vintage dealer Tony la fripe, among others. In addition to vintage, you will also find collections of exclusive streetwear brands such as Paradox Brussels.
Verversstraat 4, 1000 Brussels.
2. MOOD thrift store
(Ghent)
For those who like clothes from the 90s and 00s no longer have to search every rack in their local thrift shop, Helena already did that for you. Helena De Wel has the vintage store MOOD in Ghent. Because she herself is a big fan of clothing from the 90’s and 00’s, they started looking for the right pieces and selling them. She selects everything in the store by hand.
Nederkouter 147, 9000 Ghent.
3. Crucible Kilo
(Antwerp and Brussels)
At Melting Pot Kilo there are no price tags on the clothing. That’s because you come by the kilo. When you’re done bending with clothes, everything is weighed and you pay 15 euros per kilo. The concept came over from the Netherlands and ensures that you can find gems for almost no money.
Antwerp: Nationalestraat 14, 2000 Antwerp.
Brussels: Rue des fishmongers 2, 1000 Brussels.
Rue Haute 154, 1000 Brussels.
4. riot
(Leuven and Antwerp)
Riot is known for its quality and unique clothing. The pieces in the store are a careful selection of the clothes that all come in. It is examined whether the clothing does meet what the store wants to radiate, and that is above all not meeting the standard. In Riot you will find pieces that have something special. Your outfit may fall and that is no problem with the Riot pieces.
Leuven: Diestsestraat 160, 3000 Leuven.
Antwerp: Lange Koepoortstraat 46, 2000 Antwerp.
5. Episode
(Antwerp and Brussels)
With Episode you may pay a little more than at your local thrift store, but for that price you really get quality. The clothing is carefully and then a whole process begins. Once the selection has been made, it can start again. In the workshop clothing with a defect is repaired, then everything is washed and then a second quality check is carried out. This way you can be sure that you don’t start afterwards. Episode can now be found in Antwerp and Brussels as well as in international cities such as Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris.
Antwerp: Kammenstraat 14, 2000 Antwerp.
Brussels: Rue Violet 28, 1000 Brussels.
6. Think twice
(Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Brussels and Leuven)
If you are looking for cheap clothing in addition to quality clothing, Think Twice has come to the right place. When the new collection is in, the prices will be with those of other vintage quality stores. But when there is almost a new collection, the prices start to fall. Then everything in the store has the same price. The price drops to 1 euro each on the day before the new collection arrives. So if you want to know where to go for bargains.
Antwerp: Nationalestraat 81, Kammenstraat 85, Jesusstraat 18 and Lange klaldenstraat 21, 2000 Antwerp.
Bruges: Sint-Jacobsstraat 21, 8000 Bruges
Ghent: Ajuinlei 15A, Nederkouter 118, Brabantdam 14, 9000 Ghent.
Leuven: Oude Graanmarkt 57, Spoormakersstraat 71, 1000 Brussels.
Diestsestraat 255, 3000 Leuven.