Store owners say marks and holes add character to pieces and make them more appealing to discerning buyers

At the 99 Vintage store in the centre of Winchester, curated rails of worn-in Dickies trousers sit alongside paint-splattered band T-shirts and a 1964 track-and-field hoodie with the left cuff ­falling off. “We call it the trashed look,” said Jack Edwards, 27, who co-owns the family business.

“In the past, I would have rejected things because of a mark, but now we see the positives in some stains and distressing. It helps tell the story of the piece.”