Unpacking fashion's vintage invasion
This piece was originally written in November 2021.
An ever-increasing number of retailers are incorporating second-hand in their business strategies. Are they embracing circularity or capitalising on consumer trends? And what does it mean for the eco-system of existing vintage sellers?
Brands are cutting out the middle men. The roster of brands that have incorporated the resale of second-hand and vintage clothing into their business model keeps growing. According to ThredUp’s 2021 Resale Report, “42% of retail execs say resale will be an important part of their business within 5 years.” Luxury and fast fashion alike want in, from Alexander McQueen partnering with Vestiaire Collective in the Brand Approved program at the beginning of this year, to H&M launching its Rewear platform for the Canadian market in September.
The reason for this mainstream interest in vintage and second hand is two-fold. Watching the success of resale sites like Depop, Grailed, Vinted and Vestiaire Collective, “brands have seen the revenue potential there” and understandably want a slice of the pie, says fashion journalist and sustainability specialist Sophie Benson. It’s no secret that ‘90s Jean Paul Gaultier pieces are extremely popular from the red carpet to TikTok, so is it a coincidence that the fashion house recently added a vintage arm to their website? Diesel became one of the latest players to jump on the bandwagon in November, buying back old jeans, restoring and reselling them as part of their Second Hand project. Is it just by chance that Lyst’s 2021 Conscious Fashion Report noted a “321% spike in searches for upcycled jeans on Lyst year-on-year”? “It’s simply the latest example of brands trying to control the narrative and customer experience,” said Christopher Morency, ex-editorial director of High Snobiety. As an example, he noted how the rise of social media allowed brands to communicate directly with consumers, rather than relying on magazines and publishers. “Brands wanted to own that narrative themselves.”
Image from Diesel's Second Hand campaign
Secondly, brands have been moved to action by the “increasing consumer and legislative pressure to prevent waste and to embrace circular economies,” continues Benson. Whether this is out of genuine concern for the climate crisis or an attempt at virtue-signalling, “if they’re investing in a circular economy that’s fantastic, whatever the driver is.” Sustainability consultant Faith Robinson says that, “Brands do things because it makes sense financially. So they’re getting on board with the fact that they can make more money without having to make more stuff.” In line with this idea of reduction, she continues that although vintage “doesn’t necessarily have sustainable connotations culturally (people like it because it’s a bargain!), it has a sustainable impact at scale.”
Will household names dabbling in this market step on the toes of existing vintage sellers? People have mixed opinions. The founder of luxury vintage shop, Queen Vin Archive, feels that it is “hard to say just yet how it will affect us” but it is “alarming”. They shared how a few months ago, a Gucci representative bought Gucci Spring 1999 trousers from their Etsy shop. When they saw these same trousers decorating the Gucci Vault campaign, they had mixed feelings: on one hand “it was pleasant to see them on the Gucci campaign, but the fact that they were re-selling the item at a much higher price left me feeling uneasy.” However, founder of vintage shop IRVRSBL feels more optimistic, stating: “I’ve always believed a rising tide lifts all boats and it’s been great as this has really brought archive into the mainstream.” Noting that this widescale move towards vintage has created demand, they added that, “These brands have a much larger mark-up than we do, so for that reason we are able to be competitive.”
“Brands should embrace credible resellers for that part of the business, instead of trying to own every experience,” believes Morency. This is exactly what Oscar de la Renta’s new resale platform, Encore, is trying to do. Having launched last week, they are selling the house’s vintage pieces sourced from their clients and reputable vintage sellers. Vintage shop Shrimpton Couture was picked by the ODLR team to provide 10 dresses from their own archive. Could this be a way for big brands to venture into vintage without eating up the business of smaller sellers? “I think what Oscar de la Renta did with Shrimpton Couture is a gold standard of how fashion houses can ethically participate in our market,” said Queen Vin Archive’s founder.
The big question is, does this really make any difference in terms of reducing production and moving towards circular consumption? Robinson noted that this widespread embrace of vintage is important as a cultural “signifier”. “We become witness to behaviours changing, new things becoming cool.” In terms of consumer attitudes and waste reduction this shift in the fashion landscape is not insignificant, but Benson is “not convinced it’s displacing overall production, which is what we really need. Because if it’s just adding something on top, how much of a difference is it making?”
Comments
Post a Comment