Blast from the Past: A Vintage Renaissance
(cue the record scratches) In a world dominated by self-expression and social media, we often zoom in on what the next big thing is. As the last decade’s most iconic must-haves become today’s it-girl essentials, one particular new trend seems to be gaining traction—the vintage aesthetic. From the irreplaceable quality of old Polaroids to the resurgence of Mary Janes and bell bottoms, never has the sentiment “history repeats itself” been truer. The question remains—is this just a regular comeback of something trivial, or has vintage-ness rebounded because of some deeper reason?
It is no surprise that clothing brands have started taking inspiration from styles and cuts from the ‘90s, ‘80s, and even ‘70s—after all, from a bird’s-eye view, fashion across multiple decades seems to have similarities with previous trends. An article from The Review says that fashion trends tend to repeat themselves every 20 years, referring to this as the “fashion trend cycle.” Although there doesn’t seem to be a specific beginning to the increasing popularity of vintage fashion, we can see how events are adopting its aesthetic; for example, the theme of this year’s Met Gala was “Sleeping Beauty: Reawakening Vintage,” drawing influencers and teens to adopt vintage clothing.
To cater to the newfound popularity of this trend, clothing stores nowadays like to create clothes that appear vintage, otherwise known as “retro” clothing. However, while they are made to look vintage, the synthetic material used to design these apparel isn’t as durable as the natural materials used in authentic vintage clothing. This choice of materials explains the unsustainability of fast fashion. With sustainability becoming an increasingly important factor to the Gen Z market when buying clothes, distinguishing sustainable clothes has become crucial; consumers are now urged to be mindful of the materials used to create a product rather than merely focusing on their exterior. These materials are part of what makes this style so special. They allow vintage clothing to continue being passed on, making the practice of secondhand buying proliferate globally and send thrift stores and flea markets to the mainstream.
Aside from clothing, many from our generation have started adopting digicams in their daily lives. These gadgets that our parents would have used to remember their milestones in life—prom, graduations, and holidays—connect us to their childhood, bringing back the spirit and uniqueness of the ‘80s and ‘90s. It gives us a sense of nostalgia because, interestingly enough, this era may seem like a happier or simpler time for Gen Z, maybe due to fewer global problems like climate change, wars, and diseases back then compared to the world we live in today. Compared to the high-quality graphics seen in phone-taken pictures, photos taken using digicams or Polaroids are relatively low-quality. However, their simplicity adds a charming quality to photos, making them appear more authentic—exactly what our generation seems to be looking for amidst the chaos and pretensions of modern society.
This phenomenon is also seen in the revival of vinyl. According to Camoin Associates, the arrival of the pandemic had caused vinyl sales to skyrocket due to a search for new hobbies. Vinyls have started to gain appeal from people because of their uniquely warm sound and aesthetics, luring many to grow their collections of records from artists and genres of all kinds.
Clearly, the renaissance of the vintage aesthetic has more to it than being just a trend. The aforementioned are only a few ways that vintage has been making a reappearance. Amongst a multitude of fast fashion brands and mass-produced items, our appreciation for vintage things shows our value for something different. Rather than just a trend, the vintage aesthetic, in all its uniqueness, can actually be seen as a powerful statement about what connects us to the past as well as what we’re looking for in the present.