Article originally published on June 23, 2021.
If “vintage” clothes are generally second-hand, the opposite is not always true. And it is important to underline to understand how the fashion industry loves to blur the maps of trends and temporalities to produce more and consume more!
Technically, “vintage” refers to clothing from another era, at least 20 years old theoretically, although no law regulates the use of this expression. And if the general public uses this expression more and more abusively as a synonym for second hand, it is proof that second hand pieces are proving to be less and less old… In other words, as soon as they are bought, the clothes are resold faster and faster! And it probably has a lot to do with social media.
Fleas were cheap, vintage was chic, but online everything is a blur
Il n’y a pas si longtemps (avant qu’Instagram ne donne à beaucoup de personnes l’envie de se débarrasser des vêtements dans lesquels ils ont été trop de fois photographiés), acheter des vêtements d’occasion était beaucoup plus binaire qu’ Today.
Or we did it out of necessity, so we couldn’t buy new clothes – which could lead to a feeling of social shame, as Margaux Roger recently testified. Or we did it precisely because we allowed ourselves the luxury of being able to take the time to hunt for old-fashioned nuggets in thrift stores, as a form of entertainment for privileged fashion connoisseurs.
To put it more schematically: to make fleas was economicbut the antiqued vintage was chic!
But in recent years, social networks and platforms that imitate its codes, such as the British Depop or the Lithuanian Vinted, have made this opposition increasingly obsolete, contributing to the democratization of used goods as a popular and even cool practice.
Networks and platforms have in common that they are designed to be as attractive and engaging as possible! This notably involves the capture of codes from video games – this is called gamification. Hence the fact that we can tell ourselves that we will quickly take a look at Instagram, and get lost for tens of minutes without seeing the time pass… Same thing for Vinted: the search for second-hand finds also becomes a very playful storm whirlwind .
An ultra-connected young man who wants to pay attention to his carbon footprint
Hunting for used clothes, and why not bragging about it on your own networks, is becoming a rewarding form of gaming that the younger generations particularly like. That is a windfall of important customers to seize! Hence the acquisition of Depop by the most historic platform that brings together many artisans around the world, Etsy: the latter also has an interest in betting on 90% of the former’s under-26 clientele, so as not to end up on the platform.
This ultra-connected young man can and will hunt for secondhand clothes all the more so because he cares more than his elders about issues of ecology and social justice in general. It is also through social networks that many resources, thoughts and information on ethical and non-ethical production methods of different brands, for example, are shared.
Rather than buying first hand from a multinational with an opaque supply chain, buying second hand from a person close to you, who you know a little bit through his networks, allows you toreduce its carbon footprint and appear as a more humane and warming experience.
But this is sometimes just an illusion, as the irony of this second-hand popularization is that many people are in it reproduce exactly the shortcomings reproached to fast-fashion without necessarily being aware of it… And we’re not blaming them — it’s the entire industry promoting it.
Because vintage and used shouldn’t be confused when it comes to fashion
Indeed, you have certainly already seen many influencers and influencers promoting a partnership with a platform on which the person organizes a vacuum-packed dressing, or explaining to you that selling on such a site allows you to get a voucher to buy clothes. So many incentive practices that make you want to consume – but selling to buy back this dry is far from being a virtuous practice for the planet!
That’s why it’s so important to continue to use common sense, even when buying secondhand. It no longer generates CO2 on the production side when buying second hand, of course, but the carbon footprint is not zero because the pollution linked to the online storage of images on resale sites remains, as does that of transport. Buying second hand is better than before. But you still need to do it sparingly!
Because if the notions of second hand and vintage tend to merge so much, it is precisely because the fashion industry contributes to making us lose all notion of time. Start today to reproduce, for example, clothes that were fashionable in the 2000s to match the current hype of trends from this era. Follow ? Neither do we, and that’s the point.
Therefore, vintage or not, in the eyes of the consumer nothing changes since it is the same visual result. In terms of quality and environmental cost, however, it’s not the same thing at all. And it is this nonsense that should be avoided. Keep in mind, therefore, when hunting for a second-hand Von Dutch or Ed Hardy cap: you might as well look for a model actually produced in the 2000s, rather than today’s reproductions sailing on this Y2K revival. It will certainly be cheaper, more quality and truly vintage. And there, even Paris Hilton would tell you: “How hot! »
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
