By Chibueze Oyo
Today, clothing has no bounds. The art of scrambling through vintage clothes racks and shelves has considerably grown on Londoners. North London, in particular, boasts many unique vintage apparel shops, with many wild and wacky items on sale for the discerning shopper.
In an exorbitantly priced city, youth have found solace in vintage stores. Millennials have found new ways to consume. The art of vintage shopping for some has become the most convenient way to hoist their wardrobe and consciously consume clothes.
Blue 17 Vintage, near London Metropolitan University, is one of many vintage stores thriving in the city. Store assistant Jessica said “We’re seeing a massive shift in consumerism, and it’s been happening for the last couple of years.
“Young people are continuously breaking fashion boundaries with new outfits but now we’re seeing that there is more awareness on the impacts of fast fashion and the effects it has on the environment,” added Jessica, who declined to give her last name.
Vintage clothing stores have been increasing in popularity over the years, with fashion writer Tracy Diane Cassidy stating that the rise is massively contributed to “the current economic climate” and a “change in consumer attitudes wearing and utilizing second-hand goods”.
According to a report from market and data specialist Statista, sales in second-hand stores saw a 17.6 percent raise. Charity shop spending is most popular in the city, with the average Londoner spending £13 a month in charity stores.
Statista editor Tugba Sabannoglu said: “Sales in charity shops reached £732 million, representing an increase of approximately 29 million on the previous year.”
Isaac Osesanya, Co-founder of Crepnetwork, vintage e-commerce which sells vintage deadstock trainers and clothes, said that their business has taken off considerably since its launch in 2018.
Osesanya said, “Vintage items have become a massive focus in the last couple of years, from clothes to sneakers there are people out there who live for the nostalgia that comes with wearing a vintage outfit or owning a rare vintage pair of sneakers.”
People’s love for vintage fashion has always been in the air, there has been a shift in values. People don’t need necessarily want to buy new clothes, nowadays people are finding solace in rare clothes, despite it being old. They simply love the fact that you won’t be able that particular piece just anywhere.
Besides the changing attitudes, the rise of the vintage fashion industry can be attributed to nostalgia. Some outfits play a vital role in representing an era of the times we lived through, stories subtly spoken through our garments.
The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966, was an organisation with a strong idea of socialism. Their uniform, usually a pair of black sunglasses and a black leather coat, was simple but effective. Two regular commodities, but when combined, a symbol of power.
Vintage lover Amy Lennon loves vintage clothes, saying she hopes this trend is here to last. “The perception of second-hand shopping has changed. It went from something people rarely spoke about to be one of the city’s greatest gems,” she said.
The stigmatization that came hand in hand with buying second-hand clothes has disappeared. No longer is looked down upon it is has become more desirable to find a gem in a thrift shop than in Louis Vuitton.
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