Why Vintage Shopping Is Superior. Always.

With an overwhelming amount of fast fashion at our fingertips, a turn towards slow fashion, with vintage included, is not only a way to counter the countless sustainability, labor and human rights issues that accompany the fast fashion market, but it’s one of the best way to add intention to your everyday while carving out personal style in a world of copycats. If you’re still hesitant to dip a toe into the vintage world, here are a few more reasons you should give vintage clothing a try.

Vintage Is Trendy

While trends come and go, good vintage lasts a lifetime. The irony is that right now, vintage styles are very “in.” Just look at the hat trends of 2021—from bucket hats to distressed styles, vintage influence is everywhere you look. One of the best things about shopping for vintage clothing is that you can find items for any season to fit the ever-changing fashion world and its seasonal trends. Light vintage dresses make a great addition to summer wardrobes and a vintage scarf adds the perfect pop to a Fall ensemble. Pro tip - a great place to start is with denim, leather, and other go-to materials that are never out of style.

Vintage Clothes Are Cost-Effective

Another major pull of vintage clothing is that it can potentially be incredibly budget-friendly. Instead of spending a fortune on clothes at the mall that you’ll probably only wear a few times, take yourself on a date at your local thrift shops or even antique stores in your area. These spots often carry clothing at a fraction of the price you would spend at a department store. You can even find specialty sites online that exclusively sell beautifully curated vintage clothing, although the markups may be higher here, given the amount of source work done. An added benefit of vintage is that they were typically more durable and of much better quality than current department store brands, which can also save you money in the long run. After all, if they’ve lasted this long and are in good condition, that says a lot about the quality of material and construction.

Vintage Fits Into Any Style

You don’t have to dress head to toe in old threads to shop the style. The best thing about vintage clothing is that it can truly fit in with any style. Accessorize favorite outfits by adding a few vintage pieces, or start with some solid vintage staples and add on from there. There are so many options for incorporating vintage fashion into your wardrobe that it can really look good with just about everything.

Vintage Helps Empowering Others

The fashion industry is responsible for 10 % of annual global carbon emissions, which is more than all international flights and shipping combined. With that in mind, opting for clothing that has already been made and already exists is a big flex in helping reduce carbon emissions - not to mention land waste, as well as not contributing to human rights issues.

The fashion industry, which employs women primarily as garment workers, contributes significantly to human rights abuses from poor wages to firing pregnant workers and denied paid maternity benefits to zero protection against workplace sexual harassment. Finding ways to not contribute monetarily is not just part of our social responsibility as global citizens, but in many ways, is an act of collective empowerment - and for women especially. So next time you opt for vintage threads over a fast-fashion replica, congratulate yourself for not only being a fashion maven, but for doing something good for the world as well.