Hunter Gatherer

I felt I had to leave a review because not all previous reviewers have acknowledged that this is an op shop — therefore all profits go to the charity Brotherhood of St Laurence. So it’s great that they are trying to get the absolute best price for their donations. Charity shops exist to aid the charity, not for cheap clothes for us who can afford more! It’s a great shop and yes unfortunately it does have more 70s — current day clothes but that’s because it’s extremely difficult to find pre 60s vintage now, especially just through donations, not active looking like a vintage trader would so.
I’ve picked up a few great things here and in the sister shop in CBD. The staff are friendly and it’s always a great place to go for a look. They always have a really good window display as well.
Definitely worth a look and I hope you find something great.

Great selection of clothes– a little steep on price when some have obvious stains etc.

Hunter Gatherer is a vintage store that sells both new and used clothes for men and women. The second hand clothes are generally fairly over priced and the new items seem like they’re quite poor quality. As a general rule, I’d say that anything that is full price and not on sale is probably not worth buying. Also, as interesting as much of the second hand clothes are (particularly for the women’s stuff) the actual wearability of lots of stuff there is questionable, as there are some quite out-​there vintage designs that most people wouldn’t be able to pull off.
As a whole, I’m not crash hot on this place, and it doesn’t help that it has a bit of a pretentious vibe, that seems unfitting with the clothes that they actually sell.

I support op shops as regularly as I can by shopping for clothes. I love a bargain and I love finding a vintage gem, and if by doing so I’m also donating money to a charity then that’s a huge bonus.
And so it goes for Hunter Gatherer, the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s retail store of handpicked vintage garments, sorted for us and neatly hung, taking the sometimes whiffy pain out of buying from op shops.
The garments here are apparently the cream of the crop, and as much as I like the idea of this store, i’ve never found anything in it that I’ve liked very much. It could be that the clothes seem to only go as far back as the 70s, and that’s probably my least favourite decade to wear (the 80s comes a close second, and well, I still have stuff from the 90s in my wardrobe from when I lived it).
Where are all the gorgeous 40s, 50s and 60s dresses? That’s what I would, and do, happily pay more for.
Still, it’s the BSL and we should show our support. For me though, I will do so by buying at their op shops and be my own hunter gatherer.

There’s a good reason to shop here. Hand-​picked from the shops of the Brotherhood of St. Lawrence; buy here and you’re supporting the disadvantaged community get back on their feet. It sure helps that this is a vintage store that doesn’t charge exorbitant amounts for what you buy.
Plus they probably have a better selection than many of all the others.
There’s a good range of belts and shoes, and some jewellery of their own to boot. Fantastic tops and dresses and good selection of skirts.
The clothes are generally around $ 30 and under so you’ll find something inside your budget. You’ll also find something that you won’t see on anyone else (and if you do, the universe will collapse from such a coincidence).

Its name might scream neanderthal man but Brunswick Street’s Hunter Gatherer is most definitely for Fitzroy’s hip girls and metrosexual boys, stocking a selection of — mostly 70s onwards — vintage clothing and accessories.
I really want to like this place. There is the occasional cool piece in the window and a pretty good selection of vintage on offer, but as others have suggested it screams ‘I’m an op shop without the altruism’ rather than ‘I’m a ruddy good vintage shop,’ and there lies the rub.
Definitely worth a browse if you’re not a fussy vintage buyer. But preferring my vintage from the fifties, sixties or earlier, Hunter Gatherer is most definitely not in my little vintage black book.

The Brunswick Street precinct is one of those places where hip, vintage lovers go for all their shopping needs. And hot on my list of vintage stores to visit when I’m shopping here is the iconic Hunter Gatherer.
But unlike regular vintage stores, the stock for this magnificent little shop is specially handpicked from the huge assortment of fashion pieces donated to the Brotherhood of St Laurence community stores. (Read: genuine second-​hand garb that has been pre-​loved and is now looking for a new home)
Hunter Gatherer also sells a good range of jewellery sourced from local artisans and creative types. Check out Greg Mann’s clever pieces that feature antique cutlery and Gabriella Hirst’s coral inspired necklaces and bangles.
And while you’re there, you must check out the kooky range of hats, shoes and bags. Hat lowers will especially adore the funky collection of hats and cute clutch bags made from pre-​loved vintage fabrics.

One of the original second-​hand-​but-​not-​really-​second-​hand stores on Brunswick St. Like the others, that means you’re paying more for your ‘vintage’ jacket or shirt or shoes than you would be if you went to Salvos, but also that you don’t have to rifle through the racks to get to the good stuff.
But that’s also the failure of Hunter Gatherer, at least for men (the men’s section in much smaller than the women’s): the stuff isn’t that great. It’s hard to find regular sizes and the quality is lacking. The prices aren’t as high as some of the newer shops in the area, but the newer shops (particularly on Smith St) have a better range… Is there such a thing as ‘mid-​range second-​second-​hand clothing’?

Is it an Op Shop? Is it a «vintage store»? Is it a shop stocking creations by local designers?
Actually, it’s all three.
Taking Op Shop to the exciting level that means the clothes are over 70% worth buying and wearing as is (as opposed to the usual need to trawl through every rack of Granny rejects for the few gems that I have to cut up) but keeping the prices at almost Op Shop level, Hunter Gatherer is always a worthwhile stop when shopping on Brunswick St. Ok, I said almost Op Shop prices, this isn’t quite the case. They are a little bit more expensive, but still far cheaper than some of the «vintage» stores around (*coughshagcough*).
The good thing, though, is that whilst you might be paying a bit more (for quality and choice, if anything), that money goes to The Brotherhood of St Lawrence. Shopping AND warm and fuzzies of a good deed done? Yes please.