LONDON — Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano collectors rejoice: on June 20, the primary of two auctions of fashion archivist, consultant and stylist Steven Philip’s collection of vintage clothing will likely be sold by Kerry Taylor Auctions in London.

Up on the market are pieces of fashion history, including a whole ensemble from Westwood’s 1981 Pirates collection and a waistcoat with an identical sketch from Galliano’s graduate Central Saint Martins’ Incroyable collection. 

Kerry Taylor, founding father of the eponymous auction house, said the auction got here together organically.

“He’s been considered one of my best clients over time. I mean, there’s hardly an auction passed by that he’s not been sitting there bidding away, glaring at other people bidding against him,” she said.

For Philip, accruing these highly collectible pieces was greater than a job. Relatively, it’s a passion he’s been working at for greater than 25 years.

“I didn’t want to simply have a bit from a group. If it was the Pirates collection, for instance, I just didn’t want the jacket. I wanted to finish a jigsaw, so it’d be a full ensemble of what the designer desired to go on the catwalk,” the archivist explained.

A part of the enjoyment of collecting vintage clothing is its ability to inform a story for the stylist. Take lot 122, a Peruvian-inspired knit hat from the Christian Dior fall 2002 collection, described by WWD as “a cross-cultural joy ride.”

“That hat modified loads for me. It was something that you simply would never expect from a house at that level at the moment, should you think how prim Dior was 20 years before that,” he said.

“It showed Galliano’s strength, changing the home and making it available to everybody,” he added.

Taylor cites the John Galliano printed Vultures kimono, from his acclaimed collection The Ludic Game as considered one of her favorite pieces.

“For me, it’s a extremely necessary piece. The print, which has got these strange vultures, was designed by a fellow student of Galliano’s from Saint Martins. The entire thing may be very form of raw and unique,” she said.

Also on the auction block are pieces from Alexander McQueen, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons.

Now that he’s accomplished this jigsaw, Philip said he plans to deal with starting a latest puzzle, this time centering around collecting from up-and-coming designers.

“I would like to work more with young designers now and younger people. I surround myself with those who are enthusiastic, and that’s why I promote people like Charles Jeffrey, who was told he’d never be a designer,” he said.

On June 21, a secondary auction will happen with items from Philip and various anonymous sellers.

Items include a creations from Simon Costin for Alexander McQueen’s Dante and The Birds, in addition to an Issey Miyake Plastic Body breastplate.