About Taro's Wish

Taro's Wish is a UK-based online shop for vintage fashion and independent design. We specialise in designer archives from Europe and East Asia, rare second-hand pieces, and Alcove, our home for limited handmade work made with indie collaborators.

It started almost by accident back in 2020, while I was living in the UK and finishing my Master's degree. At first, I was just trying to clear out my own closet. But somewhere between listing those pieces and carefully packing them up, it felt a bit like playing a life-simulator game: a quiet, immersive ritual of tending to this small world of my own.

I found a profound, unexpected joy in connecting beautiful clothes with someone who would truly cherish them again. This spark led me to begin searching for vintage garments to share with others.

For a while, I balanced this growing passion with my studies and a full-time job. Eventually, I decided to follow my heart and left my job to fully focus on this. ( ⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝) Since 2022, Taro's Wish has been my world.

A Reverence for Soulful Fashion

My obsession with "soulful" fashion comes from finds like Guy Paulin. He was a French designer most people have never heard of, with a house that ran briefly across the 80s and 90s before he died in 1990 at just 44.

Finding his work felt like uncovering an unreleased cassette in a vintage record store; it was a profound, bittersweet shock. We are small, yet we pour our grandest dreams into what we create, trying to leave a piece of ourselves behind to endure. To cherish these things is to hold more than just an object; it is to hold the heart someone once poured into their work.

How we choose and care for vintage pieces

I personally wear and mend my own pieces for years, changing buttons, or regluing soles, until they truly wear out. By choosing these pieces, you are preserving an art form and giving a second life to quality that lasts.

Why pre-loved over new, and what Alcove is

That is why it's hard for me to embrace "new" clothes, there is already so much soul in what exists. I'm not a fan of mass production; I believe in pieces that have been lived in, mended, and cared for. We don't need more; we just need to better love what's already here.

This is why I curate pre-loved archives alongside Alcove's handmade collaborations; both prioritize soul over volume.

What Taro's Wish means to me

I'm a bit like a crow, I guess, scouring the corners of the world for these hidden treasures, acting as a bridge to deliver them to those who will truly cherish them.

In this journey, another treasure I've found has been myself. As someone living with anxiety, Taro's Wish has become my sanctuary. Through finding my own style, I became a much happier and more confident version of myself, and I hope to help you do the same.

Thank you for being here, for your feedback, and for helping me keep these stories alive. ⋆.˚𖦹