Nation's most iconic fashion piece revealed - and you probably have it in your closet

The classic Levi's 501 jeans have been voted the nation's most iconic fashion piece of all time.

Originally patented in 1873, the 501 recently celebrated its 150th year after being catapulted into folklore by Hollywood legends John Wayne, Marilyn Munroe and Marlon Brando. Since then, their popularity has rocketed, with more recent devotees including Hailey Bieber, Selena Gomez, Kristen Stewart and Sydney Sweeney. Now, in a survey of 2,000 Brits, 45 per cent of fashionistas have said the garment is the most iconic of all time.

Converse All Star trainers (20 per cent), Levi’s denim jacket (20 per cent) and the Ray Ban aviator (18 per cent) are also considered among the most iconic fashion items ever. They sit alongside the Nike Air Max 90 trainer (18 per cent), cherry red Doc Marten (15 per cent), bomber jacket (15 per cent) and a classic, crisp plain white t-shirt (15 per cent). Perhaps more divisive, the UGG boot (12 per cent), Croc (11 per cent), Adidas “popper” jogger (nine per cent) and “normcore” fashion favourites like a North Face fleece (eight per cent), bucket hat (eight per cent) and Birkenstock sandal (six per cent) were also rated.

The research, commissioned by livestream shopping platform Whatnot, also indicated an increase in thrift shopping, with seven in ten (70 per cent) regularly going vintage or second hand shopping - rising to 84 percent among 18 to 28 year olds. On average Brits buy five vintage or second-hand pieces a month. It’s cheaper (59 per cent), you can bag a bargain (52 per cent), it’s more sustainable (47 per cent) and you’re supporting local businesses and charities (41 percent) are the main reasons for scouring the second-hand rails.

In fact, over a third (35 per cent) say they are making more effort to buy sustainable clothing now compared to five years ago - with 30 per cent admitting they now only buy sustainable clothes, rising to 43 per cent of under 29-year-olds.

Over half (54 per cent) love the fact that they can unearth amazing vintage clothes, so much so that eight in ten (84 per cent) regularly hunt around charity stores for a specific piece of clothing. Modern Brits are most likely (88 per cent) to go thrifting with just one item of clothing on their shopping list. And according to fashionable Brits, charity shops (41 per cent) are the place to go for an old-school outfit, followed by online marketplaces (24 per cent), specialty shops (seven per cent) and market stalls (six per cent).

The nation’s love of vintage clothing is so strong that four in ten (45 per cent) are annoyed at themselves for having thrown away old classics that have been gifted to them by older relatives. Daniel Fisher, UK General Manager from Whatnot, said: “It’s clear from the research that more Brits are embracing second-hand fashion and iconic vintage pieces like Levi 501s, Ralph Lauren polo shirts and little black dresses.

"Vintage clothing offers shoppers a unique opportunity to invest in timeless pieces with history and character, which is why we’re excited to introduce Whatnot’s thriving men and women’s vintage categories to the UK market, after seeing how successful they’ve been in the US. These categories represent a more sustainable and exciting way to shop for iconic fashion items, and our sellers are experts that source incredible, hard-to-find pieces for their communities."

The most iconic fashion items of all time:

Levi 501 jean - 45 per cent

Ralph Lauren Polo shirt - 25 per cent

Chanel little black dress - 23 per cent

Levi denim jacket - 20 per cent

Converse All Star trainer - 20 per cent

Nike Air Max 90 trainer - 18 per cent

Ray ban Aviator - 18 per cent

Bomber jacket - 15 per cent

Plain white t-shirt - 15 per cent

Cherry Red Doc Marten -15 per cent

Green Barbour jacket - 13 per cent

Mary Quant miniskirt - 13 per cent

Ugg boot - 12 per cent

Fred Perry polo shirt - 12 per cent

Croc - 11 per cent

Trench coat - 10 per cent

Vans trainer - 10 per cent

Louboutin heel - 10 per cent

Burberry tartan scarf - 9 per cent

Adidas ‘popper’ joggers - 9 per cent