Voo Archive Invites
What looks like archive on a rack often begins with a personal decision and the trust to open a private wardrobe. Alessia Algani built Shop the Story around that access, with research at the centre of her process.
Before our pop-up, we spoke with her about how she studies and what it takes for a piece to move from one private wardrobe to the next.
Voo: When people hear the name Shop the Story, what do you hope they understand?
Alessia Algani: Every piece in our selection has a story behind it. I never buy an item just because it’s from a certain brand; I buy it if it can tell an interesting story.
V: What were you doing before fashion, and how does it still shape the way you buy today?
A: I worked for many years as a fiction editor and ghostwriter, so practising empathy, studying and inhabiting imaginary worlds are things I am familiar with. With Shop the Story, it’s the same: you see a piece of clothing, you recognise it, you study it, you take care of it and you imagine it in its new life. Sourcing and tracing the story of every single piece we sell is definitely the part of my job I love the most.
V: When you put a Yohji or Comme des Garçons piece next to an Italian one, what connects them for you?
A: My inspiration comes from some epic multi-brand stores that popped up all over Italy between the 70s and 90s, introducing the most avant-garde designers to Italy (think Comme des Garçons, Yohji, Margiela, John Galliano) and mixing all these pieces with the most innovative Italian brands, such as Prada, Miu Miu, Romeo Gigli, Moschino, Marni. It’s the same mix you can find at Shop the Story, and I think it works pretty well.
V: How do private wardrobes find you, and how do you find them?
A: In most cases, it is word of mouth.
“You see a piece of clothing, you recognise it, you study it, you take care of it and you imagine it in its new life.”
V: What makes someone trust you with their wardrobe, especially when pieces are personal and sentimental?
A: First of all, I am a very respectful person and am always grateful when people decide to show me their wardrobes. I never push people to sell their pieces and I give them a fair value, and they know I will take care of these gems and will sell them to archive enthusiasts. Also, I hate name-dropping: I never talk about my suppliers or my customers, unless they talk about me.
V: Have you ever advised someone not to sell a piece, even if you wanted it?
A: Yes, it happens when I feel that someone is not ready to part with a piece and would probably regret letting it go.
V: Can you share one customer moment you still think about, what happened, and why it stayed with you?
A: I have many, but I cherish this one particularly because it was my first contact with one of my favourite clients, who has since become a friend. One evening, she walked past the shop window while we were closed and spotted a Prada sweater from the S/S 2004 collection. She texted me right away, hoping it might be her size, because twenty years earlier she had bought the skirt from the same runway look. Years later, she wanted to complete the look. And she did.
V: Which piece are you most proud of, and why does it matter to you beyond the rarity or label?
A: I am proud of all of them, but the time I was most touched seeing a piece that I then bought was when, from the bottom of a wardrobe, I saw a piece of blue tulle peeking out and recognised a wonderful dress by the Comme des Garçons F/W 1997 collection. I had admired it so many times in pictures that seeing it in person moved me.
V: What are you expecting from bringing Shop the Story to Berlin, and what do you want the experience to be like for locals?
A: Although Milan and Berlin are clearly really different, I worked on this special selection for Voo Archive trying to stay true to the DNA of Shop the Story, since it didn’t make sense to me to alter it massively to fit the Berlin vibe. So, I would say I have no expectations, I am just very curious (but being curious is one of my defining traits).
Voo Archive Invites brings external voices into the Archive, giving space to projects whose perspective expands our own.
The pieces are available in-store only and can be discovered at Voo Archive.
Wednesday to Saturday
12:00pm–6:00pm
Oranienstraße 181, 10999 Berlin
