Dongdaemun vintage shopping for Tommy Hilfiger knits: Viva Trade

A huge vintage shop in Dongdaemun for fall clothes

The weather has been gradually getting cooler lately, so I wanted to browse some fall clothes and visited Viva Trade Eulji Dundaun Dongdaemun Branch in Dongdaemun. Viva Trade is a large warehouse-style vintage store where you can browse secondhand items imported from different countries all in one place. I only went to see what they had, then somehow came home with Tommy knits too—ahh!!

When I visited, they were also running a Vintage Warehouse special promotion. Discount notices were posted throughout the store, so most items could be bought for less than their original tag prices!! Since it is hard to find the exact same vintage item again, I always check the price first when I spot something good, haha.

How did I browse a 200-pyeong store?

It is seriously soooo huge. This is a 200-pyeong warehouse-style vintage store, and once I went inside, the clothing racks seemed to go on forever. It is not just clothes either—there are so many bags, miscellaneous goods, and accessories, so I would recommend allowing plenty of time!

There are area guides like this inside, so if you have a particular item type or brand in mind, it is easy to check the location first and head over. I had not come looking for anything specific, so I decided to make a full lap from the beginning, haha.

K-VINTAGE and global brands

First was the K-VINTAGE section, where Korean vintage brands are gathered. When I think of vintage, overseas brands come to mind first, but it was fun that Korean-brand items had their own section too. And the fitting rooms were so spacious and pleasant—I was totally satisfied. They even sold LPs, which was so fun and unexpected.

This is the GLOBAL BRANDS section. Since it is vintage, the stock will naturally vary day to day, but there were quite a lot of overseas-brand items too.

And something I loved about Viva Trade! The store is so big and there are so many clothes that you keep finding things you like, but they have shopping carts and baskets ready like this. It was convenient to put things I liked in first, then compare them again at the end.

I thought they only sold clothes, but there were also tons of accessories further inside. Tables were filled with little items, from glasses to wallets and cardholders. There were heaps of miscellaneous goods over here too. With fashion items like hats and shoes as well, even someone who is not that into clothes would have plenty to browse.

Suddenly, Hello Kitty vibes, haha. There was also a Hello Kitty section all done up in red on one side. It had everything from bags to small accessories, and it was seriously so cuteㅠㅠ

From Polo to premium brands

Then came the POLO & HIGH-END section, where I really started digging in. If you love Polo, I think this is the section to search through properly.

But one thing that did not feel like a typical vintage shop was how there was no dust, or at least that is how it felt. Usually vintage shops make me cough or make my nose itch, but this place was managed so well. It was incredibly clean and nice.

There is also a separate space devoted to overseas premium brands. Since Viva Trade is a warehouse-style vintage store that directly imports a wide range of secondhand items from around the world and presents them in one place, the actual breadth of brands was considerable.

As you would expect from such a large store, there were so many brands, fabrics, and seasonal pieces that it felt like there was no kind of clothing they did not have. I browsed for about 30 minutes that day. If you are determined, an hour of browsing is easy.

Fall knits and silk shirts

What I looked at most closely that day was, of course, the knits, haha. There were so many knits for fall through winter, hanging up in all kinds of colors. At stores selling new clothes, I tend to look mostly at currently trendy designs, but vintage pieces all differ completely in material and pattern, so it is fun to dig through them one by one.

There was a separate 100% SILK SHIRT section too. With lots of pieces in vivid colors and patterns, this section was genuinely fun to look through. If you want something more distinctive than an ordinary shirt, you could start here.

Rather than simply feeling like a collection of old clothes, Viva Trade has its areas divided by category, so it was easy to look for the style I wanted.

I picked out two Tommy knits with discounts

Then I spotted this pink Tommy Hilfiger knit. The color was pretty, and it looked perfect as a fall basic. It was ₩49,000, but an extra 20% discount brought it down to ₩39,200—such a steal.

What do I do? I want to buy everything.

I cannot wear hoodies anymore because they hurt my shoulders, but this one was cute. I put it on my maybe list.

They had COS pieces too. These were also 20% off the tag price.

The sports-brand section had rows of Nike and Adidas items too. If you are looking for sweatshirts or T-shirts, there is quite a lot to see over here as well.

And here was another Tommy knit that I debated over until the very end. This one was for men, but of course it was a similar color to the Tommy knit I had already picked. What a coincidence.

So I brought home both of them. On top of that, each was 30% off its tag price, so they were both under ₩40,000. They were in such great condition tooㅠㅠㅠ

Such an amazing score.

I was seriously so satisfied. The condition of the clothes was just the best. There was such a huge selection that Viva Trade was my favorite among the vintage shops I have visited. I would revisit 100%. If you like Dongmyo vintage or Dongdaemun vintage shops, I recommend making time and checking it out, haha.