This story is part of the October 5 edition of Sunday Life. See all 13 stories .

Ask any fashion lover, and they’ll be able to rattle off a list of their favourite designers. But what makes a fan turn into a collector? Claudia Chan Shaw, co-host of Antiques DownUnder on 9Gem* and author of Collectomania , says many collections start by accident “because there is an association and comfort in what the person is looking at”.

Chan Shaw says one of the key features of a fashion collection, as opposed to items such as stamps or seashells, is the collector’s ability to share their hobby with the world. “[Collecting] can be quite a solitary experience, whereas a vintage fashion collector, the minute they walk out the door they are saying something.”

Here, three collectors share thei

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