What is “Vintage”?
According to Ruby Lane, a community of antique and vintage resellers, vintage items must be at least 20 years old and exhibit the peak of a vintage era (2007). Vintage items are dated, but still stylish as enough time has passed for trends of that time to come back in fashion. So is your Von Dutch trucker hat technically vintage? Yes. However, you have to consider the cycle of trends and current fashion to determine if something really captures the spirit of vintage. This is why terms like retro and Y2K are very useful for those more interested in the more recent throwback eras. It can be frustrating seeing early 2000s and late 90s items when you are looking for mid-century modern, so try searching terms like “vintage 1950s” when looking for specific items.
Why Buy Vintage?
There are plenty of reasons to buy vintage clothes and each garment means something different to each person. I personally buy vintage because I love the silhouettes and prints of dresses and skirts from the 1960s and 1970s. Old stuff is just really neat, and depending on your build, vintage fashion can be more ideal for you anyway! For others, vintage reminds them of a different time and they want to identify with it through fashion. Buying vintage is also a sustainable and fun way to change up your wardrobe. Since vintage clothes are used by definition, you are preventing textile waste by both keeping it out of the landfill and not consuming more than already exists. It also feels like a great achievement when you can make something that may be out of date or not in line with current trends fashionable with new styling and a mixing of eras. Whether your reasons are purely aesthetic or have a deeper meaning, buying vintage is a sustainable way to preserve a piece of history and give it a new life.
What to Consider When Selling Vintage
Not all vintage is created equal, and there are some pretty sticky implications when it comes to reselling. A major criticism of selling vintage for a profit is its contribution to rapidly rising thrift store prices. In fact, reselling is set to outpace donations by 2024, leading to even less buying power for those with lower incomes. The general rising prices and scarcity of quality, durable goods directly harms those with lower incomes who may solely rely on thrift stores for protective clothing such as coats and jeans, as well as business attire. Side hustle culture is very prevalent in the younger generation of resellers, who typically can afford to buy new clothes more than the average head of a household who may rely on thrifted clothing for their family. When reselling, it is important to weigh the social aspects of commerce against the profit.
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