Glass Onion
Glass Onion Vintage is a UK-based vintage clothing retailer and wholesaler founded in 2005, operating four retail stores and a global e-commerce platform. The company processes over 100,000 secondhand pieces weekly and manufactures upcycled garments via an in-house remade factory.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersDodworth, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Glass Onion does
Glass Onion Vintage Ltd is a privately held UK-based vintage and secondhand clothing retailer and wholesaler founded in 2005 by John Hickling in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The company sources vintage clothing globally (including Europe and the USA), processes it at a South Yorkshire warehouse holding millions of pieces, and distributes it through four physical retail stores in Sheffield (flagship), Nottingham, Leeds, and Meadowhall Shopping Centre, alongside a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with Klarna-enabled checkout. A dedicated wholesale arm ships bulk vintage via pallets, boxes, and 20ft/40ft containers to high street stores, charity partners, independent retailers, online sellers, and film/TV production customers worldwide, with named engagements including Netflix's The Crown (seasons 5-7) and films such as Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, and Aftersun.
Operational scale is a defining feature: Glass Onion processes over 100,000 pieces of vintage and secondhand clothing and up to 20,000 kilograms of stock per week, graded by an in-house team with 18+ years of vintage experience. Since 2016 the company has operated an in-house remade factory in South Yorkshire that upcycles damaged garments and off-cuts into new wearable pieces, producing up to 12,000 remade items per month with a team holding over 500 years of combined sewing industry experience. Supporting capabilities include an internal Chrome extension ('GOV Gemini Copy Prompt') that uses Google Gemini to accelerate product listing workflows, a Recycle With Us donation scheme with Barnsley Hospice, and an E-Gift Card product (£10-£300 denominations) redeemable in physical stores.
Revenue mechanics span B2C retail (in-store and e-commerce), B2B wholesale (bulk and container-level), remade/upcycled own-brand sales, gift card sales, and film/TV costume supply. Marketing is multi-channel across Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn, supplemented by city-guide blog content, a 10 percent student discount in-store, and event and pop-up activations. The company is founder-controlled, has not disclosed external funding, and reports a headcount of 11-50 employees.
Glass Onion firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Glass Onion
- Legal name
- Glass Onion Vintage Ltd
- Website
- https://glass-onion.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Glass Onion Vintage is a UK-based vintage clothing retailer and wholesaler founded in 2005, operating four retail stores and a global e-commerce platform. The company processes over 100,000 secondhand pieces weekly and manufactures upcycled garments via an in-house remade factory.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Glass Onion is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dodworth
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Glass Onion business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Direct Retail Sales: B2C sales through 4 physical retail stores (Sheffield, Nottingham, Leeds, Meadowhall) and e-commerce online store. Products include curated vintage clothing, second-hand fashion, and remade/upcycled pieces. Items laundered and quality-checked before sale.
- Wholesale/Bulk Vintage Clothing: B2B sales of vintage clothing in bulk to retailers, charity partners, film/TV production companies. Products shipped via pallets, boxes, or containers (20ft and 40ft) from South Yorkshire warehouse. Long-term relationships with many customers spanning 10+ years.
- Remade/Upcycled Clothing Production: In-house manufacturing since 2016 transforming damaged clothes and off-cuts into new wearable pieces. Production capacity of up to 10,000 remade items per month. Products sold in-store and as own-brand merch online.
- Gift Cards: E-Gift Cards and physical gift cards available in denominations from £10 to £300. Redeemable in-store only at Sheffield, Nottingham, and Leeds locations. Valid for 12 months from purchase.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | E-Gift Cards available in fixed denominations |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Student discount program |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Glass Onion product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Glass Onion is a UK-based vintage and second-hand clothing retailer that sources, grades, and sells pre-owned apparel through four physical stores in Northern England, a Shopify e-commerce storefront, and a global wholesale operation. Since 2016, the company also operates an in-house remade factory that transforms damaged clothing and off-cuts into new upcycled pieces at a capacity of up to 12,000 items per month.
Product overview
Glass Onion operates a multi-channel vintage clothing retail business with a unified offering centered on second-hand and sustainable fashion. The core portfolio consists of (1) Vintage Clothing — sourced globally and processed at their South Yorkshire warehouse at scale — and (2) Remade Vintage — their proprietary upcycled line manufactured in-house since 2016. Supporting these are an E-Gift Card product for in-store purchases, a Wholesale division serving business customers worldwide, physical retail Stores across Sheffield, Nottingham, and Leeds, a Recycle With Us loyalty-and-donation scheme with Barnsley Hospice, and Pop-Up Events for seasonal and festival retail. The company positions itself as the 'UK's fastest growing independent vintage store' with over 100,000 pieces arriving weekly and an in-house factory producing up to 12,000 remade items monthly.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Vintage Clothing (Retail)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 10,000kgs of clothing processed weekly that would otherwise go to landfill
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Glass Onion
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Glass Onion technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Glass Onion partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Barnsley Hospicecore'Recycle With Us' partnership in which customers donate clothes to Barnsley Hospice. Donors receive 100 loyalty points per donation (minimum 3 items). Donated clothes are sold at Barnsley Hospice Retail Hub to raise funds for specialist palliative care services in South Yorkshire. Glass Onion handles collection and delivery to the hospice.
- The Crown (Netflix)minorTV production company that sourced vintage clothing and accessories from Glass Onion for seasons 5, 6, and 7 of the Netflix hit show. One of several film and TV production company customers.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Glass Onion competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Beyond Retro: UK-based vintage and retro clothing retailer with multiple physical stores and an e-commerce platform. Direct competitor to Glass Onion in the curated vintage and secondhand apparel category, serving overlapping Gen Z and Millennial sustainable-fashion customer segments.
- Rokit: London-headquartered vintage and reworked clothing retailer operating stores in London and New York plus a strong online presence. Comparable to Glass Onion in product mix (vintage + remade) and target customer (vintage and Y2K enthusiasts), though with a more London-centric footprint.
- Pop Boutique: UK vintage clothing retailer with physical stores in London, Manchester, and Brighton plus e-commerce. Direct competitor in the curated vintage and second-hand fashion category, with a similar mix of branded vintage (Levi's, Adidas, etc.) and reworked pieces.
- The Vintage Wholesale Company: UK-based bulk vintage clothing wholesaler supplying high street retailers, online sellers, and charity partners worldwide. Most directly comparable to Glass Onion's B2B wholesale division, with overlapping customer segments and product grading processes.
- Beyond Retro Vintage Wholesale: Wholesale arm of Beyond Retro supplying graded bulk vintage to retailers globally. Comparable to Glass Onion's wholesale business in scale, grading approach, and B2B customer base of high street vintage stores, charity partners, and online resellers.
Emerging players
- Thrift+: UK online secondhand fashion platform partnering with charities and brands to recirculate clothing. Adjacent competitor to Glass Onion in the secondhand apparel category with overlap in charity partnerships, but operating purely online with a C2C/charity consignment model rather than physical retail.
Broad incumbents
- Depop: Global peer-to-peer fashion resale marketplace, particularly popular with Gen Z. Competes with Glass Onion for sustainable-fashion consumer mindshare and increasingly absorbs secondhand supply that previously flowed through charity shops and vintage wholesalers.
- Vinted: Major C2C secondhand fashion marketplace with strong UK presence. Direct structural threat to Glass Onion's wholesale supply (donors diverted to Vinted) and to retail traffic (consumers self-sourcing secondhand online), as flagged in Glass Onion's own charity partner commentary.
- Vestiaire Collective: Global luxury and premium fashion resale platform. Comparable to Glass Onion's film/TV costume supply business and premium vintage segment, though operating at a significantly higher price point and with a C2C consignment model rather than physical retail.
Others
- Barnardo's / Age UK / Oxfam Retail: UK charity retail chains operating thousands of secondhand clothing stores. Glass Onion supplies bulk vintage stock to charity partners and competes with them for consumer secondhand spend; the relationship is both partnership (B2B customer) and partial competition for foot traffic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Glass Onion social profiles
Digital presenceGlass Onion financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Glass Onion leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Glass Onion funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Glass Onion M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Glass Onion
What does Glass Onion do?
Glass Onion is a UK-based vintage and second-hand clothing retailer that sources, grades, and sells pre-owned apparel through four physical stores in Northern England, a Shopify e-commerce storefront, and a global wholesale operation. Since 2016, the company also operates an in-house remade factory that transforms damaged clothing and off-cuts into new upcycled pieces at a capacity of up to 12,000 items per month.
Is Glass Onion a public or private company?
Glass Onion is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Glass Onion founded?
Glass Onion was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Glass Onion based?
Glass Onion is headquartered in Dodworth, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Glass Onion make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale/Bulk Vintage Clothing, remade/Upcycled Clothing Production and gift Cards.
Who are Glass Onion's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Beyond Retro, Rokit, Pop Boutique, The Vintage Wholesale Company and Beyond Retro Vintage Wholesale. Thrift+ is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Depop, Vinted and Vestiaire Collective. Barnardo's / Age UK / Oxfam Retail is listed as an others.
Does Glass Onion have an API?
No public API is recorded for Glass Onion.