Headlock

Headlock, vintage clothing and circular fashion in the UK

Headlock is a British vintage and retro clothing store that operates mainly through its website, headlock.co, and a calendar of in-person events. The company was founded in 2009 and began by selling at vintage fairs, on Asos Marketplace and on eBay. In 2011 it took part in its first music festival and since 2015 it has organised its own vintage clothing sale events in collaboration with students' unions.

Catalogue: garments, brands and categories

The catalogue is organised into several product categories: outerwear (denim, leather and suede jackets, quilted jackets, rain jackets), shirts (check, corduroy, patterned, denim, western, polo), jumpers and knitwear, sweatshirts, T-shirts, trousers, jeans, shorts, dungarees, socks and footwear. It also includes a womenswear section and an accessories section with bags, caps and hats, badges, jewellery, posters and scarves.

Among the brands the store sells are Adidas, Asics, Barbour, Berghaus, Carhartt, Champion, Columbia, Dickies, Disney, Fila, Harley Davidson, Helly Hansen, Hummel, Kappa, Lacoste, Lee, Levi's, LL Bean, Lotto, Nautica, NBA, Nike, Patagonia, Puma, Ralph Lauren, Reebok, The North Face, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Umbro and Wrangler, as well as its own Headlock brand. The website shows item counts by brand, such as 174 for Ralph Lauren, 120 for Harley Davidson, 95 for Barbour, 52 for Levi's, 47 for Berghaus and 32 for Reebok.

The catalogue includes an outlet section and themed edits such as Cartoon, Chunky Knits, Denim, Festive, Football, Outdoors, Party Shirts, Pattern Knits, Staff Picks and Workwear. The store states that it adds more than one hundred new items every week.

Sportswear and football shirts

A prominent part of the range is sportswear and football shirts. The website shows examples such as a 2006 Liverpool FC shirt (third kit, white, size XL) at £60, a 1993 Stoke City Asics shirt (red, size L) at £120 and a 1995 Manchester United Umbro shirt (grey, sizes XL and L) at £120. There are also 1990s Adidas tracksuit pieces, such as a maroon tracksuit top in size XL at £60, a blue one in size M at £55 and a green Adidas goalkeeper shirt in size XL at £60.

Sale events at universities and festivals

Headlock holds vintage clothing sale events at universities and music festivals. In the university sector, the company works with students' unions and associations such as Bath Students Union, Cardiff Students Union, Durham Students Union, Edinburgh University Students Association, Glasgow QMU, Leeds University Union, Liverpool Guild of Students, Northumbria Students Union, Nottingham Trent Students, Oxford Brookes Union and Sheffield Students' Union. It also organises weekend events with Spark:York.

At festivals, the company has taken part in Bearded Theory, End of the Road, Kendal Calling and Truck, among others. The website announces an upcoming event on Monday 28th September at Leeds University, as part of its vintage clothing sale calendar. The cities that appear in the events calendar are Bath, Cardiff, Chester, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Harrogate, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield and York.

Shipping and loyalty programme

The store offers free next-day delivery in the UK on orders over £60. It has a rewards programme called Headlock Rewards and a blog. Catalogue prices are shown in pounds sterling (GBP).