The rise and inevitable decline of the vintage clothing industry

The Rise and Inevitable Decline of the Vintage Clothing Industry

   There have always been places that have been good sources for second-hand clothing. Siblings, parents, even grand parents, have always been eager to pass on clothes, in decent condition. However, it’s only in the last few decades that the name ‘Vintage’ has become synonymous with pre-owned quality, such as classic cars and vinyl. Recently, public interest has been guided towards the availability of Vintage clothing. This has led to the opening of more second-hand clothes shops than we have ever seen before.

The first “vintage” shops were disguised as charity shops. Organizations, such as Oxfam, have kept the redistribution of second hand clothes alive, since its’ first shop opened in 1948. However specialised boutiques, which would sell vintage clothing from the 20s, in prime condition, have been present in the U.K since the 60’s. Although vintage clothing has always had its’ followers, it is only during the past decade that the industry has gained more mainstream recognition.

The recent glorification of second-hand clothing could partly be accredited to model, Kate Moss. Openly advocating vintage fashion, she inspired many high street shoppers into exploring second-hand clothes, leaving many to frequent vintage shops as much as Topshop. With designers looking at pieces for inspiration for their collections, retro designs have become on trend, and has dually filtered down to the high street.

Many factors have led us to believe vintage is better than high street. The fact that it is also much cheaper to buy the real thing rather than replications of older styles has undisputedly credited its’ popularity. On average, a pair of 80s style high-waist shorts would cost around £30 on the high street, whilst pairs originally from the 80s can be found in vintage shops for £9.
Second-hand garments have also been deemed more unique, and are typically better made. A pair of hardwearing, well stitched, leather boots aren’t hard to come by in most vintage shops, and are much cheaper than those of the same quality on the high street. Along with leather, these garments are also more likely to be constructed with finer materials such as silk, velvet, and suede, for a reasonable price.

This growth in vintage consumerism has also increased the popularity of Charity shops. Oxfam’s sales alone have gone up by 17% in the past year. The Red Cross now even have their own specialised boutiques, comprising of retro gems, hand picked out of their donations. Through buying vintage clothing, we are not supporting the sweatshop trade as the majority of vintage comes from Europe, the U.S and Canada, whilst recycling clothes also helps the prevention of environmentally harmful manufacturing processes.

On the other hand, the market has to consider that after this sudden boom, are we soon to expect the demise of vintage? With antiquarian clothes being more available than ever, it is possible the cycle of vintage could be ruined. The more we buy, the less of these garments there are out there, which could lead to a narrowing of the time gap of what we deem “vintage”.

This has already happened before, as in the 70s, a lot of clothes from the 20s-50s, were sold, leaving very little from this time period coming in today. In today’s trade, this has changed so that clothing around 15-30 years old is classed as vintage, because that is all there is left. If we continue to buy vintage without redistributing it, the time gap could be narrowed again, therefore weakening the industry.

This has led to concerns over the quality of vintage. If the time gap narrows, the more likely it is that the clothes will not be as well made and constructed from synthetic materials. This is because garments were made with more natural, hardwearing fabrics in the past. Gone will be the tailored woollen coats made in the 60s, to be replaced by polyester t- shirts from the 90s.

Anthropometrical problems are also relevant, as people were a lot smaller in the past. Shoes in particular, are hard to find in larger sizes as the average size for women in 1950 was a size 3, compared to today’s size 6. Clothing sizes were also smaller. In the 60s, the average waist size was 27 inches, this has now increased to 34 inches. Factors such as the baby boom 20 years ago, which generated a plus size market, along with growing obesity rates, means that it is questionable as to whether many people will even be able to fit into vintage clothing in the next ten years.

One of the main things we can to keep vintage alive, other than restricting the cycle, would be to revive the manufacturing of good quality clothes. There is no future for vintage Primark, however economically friendly clothes of good quality could be redistributed in good time.

By Lizzy Short
Picture- credit SpanishMossVintage