Should pre-loved clothing exist on a scale, with vintage as the new luxury at one end and second-hand poly-mixes inhabiting the other end? As buying second-hand becomes increasingly popular, I take a look at the issues within the vintage resale market.
If you walk down a typical busy high street in any London borough, you can almost guarantee that you will stumble across an independent vintage shop. You might even venture inside, be hit by its distinctly musty scent, and feel overwhelmed by the sheer choice of the (sometimes, questionably) vintage clothing. As buying vintage has become more popular, the grey area that lies between second-hand and vintage clothing is growing, which is creating some significant issues. I am moved to explore the questions: should we remind ourselves of the value of vintage clothing? And is the gentrification of second-hand clothing devaluing the vintage clothing market?
For an item to be classed as vintage, it must be between 20 and 100 years old and reflect some key stylistic features from the era it was manufactured in. I see something undeniably special in owning a genuine item of vintage clothing that provides a kind of time capsule to the past. Vintage clothing also gives way to individuality in self-expression and diversifies fashion, moving consumers away from current fast fashion trends. The same could be said for second-hand clothing, however the historical context surrounding a true vintage garment deems it more valuable, just as an antique piece of furniture is more expensive than some second-hand, flat-packed furniture from IKEA.
Buying second-hand has become increasingly popular in the past year, as consumers are gradually moving away from fast fashion. In Thredup’s 2021 Resale Report studies show that, since 2020, 33 million consumers bought second-hand clothing for the first time. This is a positive change, creating a more cyclical relationship with fashion. However, as more people buy resale items, some second-hand shops are capitalising on this by falsely labelling themselves as ‘vintage’ and selling modern, poor-quality garments for inflated prices. This popularises the notion that an item of clothing that is viewed as old, but has been manufactured in the last twenty years, is now classed as vintage.
The movement away from the value of true vintage has been escalated by fashion trends on social media platforms, such as TikTok. Trends that encourage mass buying second-hand clothing at ‘vintage’ kilo-sales contributes to this waste culture and devalues the notion that you should buy a single, high quality vintage item that you keep for life. TikTok trends that endorse reselling cheap second-hand clothes as ‘vintage’ or ‘Y2K’ for a profit are also serving to devalue true vintage, whilst increasing the prices of poor-quality, second-hand clothing that has been manufactured in the last 20 years. Considering the influence of social media, Generation Z has a major role of responsibility in the future of fashion as (shown from McKinsey & Company’s 2019 State of Fashion Report) in 2020 they represented 40 per cent of global fashion consumers. Therefore, a huge amount of responsibility has landed on the heads of the younger generation. Demystifying social media trends and creating awareness online of true vintage clothing will have to be the future, if we are to reduce the exploitation of the second-hand sales market.
Another conflict within the vintage and second-hand clothing industry is sourcing. Traditionally second hand clothing is kept for charitable use and aid, whilst the vintage market relies on antique finds and high mark-ups. The culture of mass hauls has normalised mass purchasing second hand clothing, and often reselling clothes at a much higher price, implying that their garments are vintage. However is this positive if the outcome reduces production? The debate moves towards access: if vintage sellers source all their clothes from charity shops, the increased demand for second-hand clothing will cause prices in charity shops, and other second-hand shops, to inflate, affecting those who rely on the affordability of second-hand clothing from charity shops. An article from Fashion Roundtable argues that: ‘as a result of booming interest in the second-hand sector, the average price of buying second-hand has increased, potentially pushing those that were once reliant on second-hand clothing industry out of the charity shops’. Therefore balance must be found, as there is a strong argument that resale is gentrifying the second-hand clothing market, and is stopping people with less disposable income from shopping second-hand.
At this point in time there isn’t a huge amount of information on how to identify true vintage from second-hand clothing. So, how do you spot an authentic vintage shop over a second-hand store? One key way, that I personally use to identify true vintage clothing, is to talk to the owners in vintage shops and simply be curious about where they sourced their items. Generally, true vintage stores will know exactly when the vintage garment was made, what brand it is, and maybe know if it was previously owned or worn by a famous figure. There are many authentic vintage shops like this in London; a personal favourite of mine is Gigi’s Dressing Room in Walthamstow as her love and knowledge of vintage wear has gained her appraisal on multiple platforms – including Vogue. When vintage sellers are knowledgeable of the history of their true vintage clothing, it is more understandable that there may be a disparity in price between vintage and second-hand clothing. For example, a little black dress worn by Audrey Hepburn will hold far more value than a similar style dress that was mass produced in the noughties and worn by someone’s great aunt.
There are also some online platforms to help educate yourself on true vintage clothing. I find blogs such as ‘Vintage Life’ and ‘Abby on the Internet’ useful sources to help identify a true vintage item. These sites tell you ways to check how old a garment is by looking at labels, seeing where the garment was manufactured and checking the fabric composition. For example, stitched labels (as opposed to printed ones) indicate that garments could be vintage. Clothing made of a blend of fabrics also indicates a modern manufacturing process, so most vintage clothing will be made of one fibre. Unique construction details also indicate whether an item is vintage, such as hand sewing and metal zips (instead of plastic), as they are proof of methods used in manufacturing before modernisation.
Identifying the difference between vintage and second-hand clothing is key if we want the value of true vintage to be appreciated once more. If the value of vintage clothing is understood, vintage could be rebranded as the new ‘luxury’, allowing other second-hand clothing to stay affordable. Also, when you purchase an item with the intention to keep it for life, the higher price of authentic vintage clothing will diminish in price per wears. In this way, the quality and the benefits of reselling vintage wear will allow true vintage to become valued once more.
However, buying second-hand clothing of any kind is ultimately a positive move into the future and breaks the consumerist, wasteful cycle within fashion. By purchasing clothing with this mindset, you can significantly reduce fashion waste as buying previously owned clothes eradicates the manufacturing process. On top of the environmental benefits, I believe that the ‘specialness’ of buying a one-of-a-kind, second-hand item encourages people to treasure the garment more, wear it for longer, and move away from fast fashion tendencies.
As long as we keep ourselves informed, and purchase second-hand garments with the intent to treasure them for a long time, I believe we can evolve our relationship with fashion in the future.
