The Retro Revolution

Mentioned in my book, since talking about the 1960's I also wanted to explore the whole idea of retro/vintage fashion and how people today are choosing second hand clothing over high street and designer.

If you walk down Oldham Street in Northern Quarter, Manchester, you'll find yourself in a retro shop frenzy and be shocked with how many vintage shops there are. Go and explore the inside of Afflecks Palace and be greeted by the old, yet welcoming smell of worn, old clothes. And somehow, this is appealing to customers.

But why are people so obsessed with vintage fashion? And how does it make them feel? I did some research and found the reasons why vintage fashion is becoming more popular than high-street stores.

Quality - As discussed in my book (briefly) that vintage clothes can have a quality that you might not find in high-street stores, maybe designer brands can be different as you expect quality to come from something which has cost you an arm and a leg. However, if you buy a one of piece from a vintage shop you're probably going to be ensured that you're going to get the best quality because it hasn't been mass made.

Uniqueness - One of pieces mean that the things you purchase are going to be one of a kind, with trends dominating fashion magazines and mainstream fashion the main thing people follow, it's quite hard to walk down the high-street and not find the same piece of clothing with just a different brand name attached to it. Whereas vintage clothes has that exclusivity that you don't experience from high street stores.

Stories - I think people are drawn into the idea of vintage shopping because the clothing has a history to them. It's likely that the clothes you buy have been passed down and have been worn by someone else before (obviously)! And I think the idea of passing down an item and re-inventing a piece of clothing that was from the 60's or 40's makes people feel a sense of pride because their giving that historical item a new life.

I think vintage shopping is a huge part of the fashion industry but is more low-key than the high street and designer consumer driven side of the fashion industry. Maybe the industry needs to focus on the one of pieces and the history/quality that they get from vintage shopping, which is obviously what people love as this business seems to be continuously growing.

image from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-emily-darling/five-reasons-vintage-clothes_b_6432122.html