Vintage Editorial

Travel back just five years to the days when luxury brands governed both the runway and the lives of everyday people. For the women, out there you no doubt recognise the ever-familiar glare of the ‘it girl’ with her Michael Kors tote bag and matching watch. Us men however were no different, because if you weren’t clad in a Ralph Lauren Bomber you simply were not current enough. Times have changed dramatically over recent years, and we are now in the golden age of vintage street fashion. The item of clothing may have changed but the ‘bitchy’ attitudes seem to be as strong as ever. In 2018 it is all about how owns the most exclusive vintage pieces, whether that be a pair of 1980’s Diadora sneakers or the unruffled embrace of a fur jacket. So, when did millennials become so invested in dressing from the past when our attitudes and values are so set in the future?

Us Millennials seem to be the most nostalgic generation ever, obsessed with yesteryear as our minds and hearts are set on changing the future of the world. Everyone in some form indulges in the past, whether it be through fashion or streaming TV shows that have long since ended. In 2017 there was a 26.8% increase in Vinyl sales and that figure is still set to increase in 2018. The way we dress is no different from our streaming habits as vintage shops are now more popular than the staple high street retailer. Perhaps it came when a generation so set on individuality became bored with dressing in the same £25 jumper as everyone else. Fashion does have a habit of becoming repetitive, so set in comfortability that it remains stationary in history. By travelling back to a decade since past you free yourself of the conformity mainstream fashion imposes on its wearer. Instead of becoming compliant in a mass produced sweat shop jumpsuit, your average trend setter can now be the next step in a statement pieces’ story.

When we look at the financial climate during the time vintage fashion began to rise, we can clearly see the realistic reason people turned to places like thrift stores. Just after the recession the average spender could not indulge in the usual £85 jacket without selling a relative or auctioning off a kidney or two. The obvious place to turn to were stores previously thought of as ‘cheap’ and ‘tacky’ but steadily rising in the hearts of millennials. As the masses became steadily more invested in vintage stores those said places gained the traction needed to increase their inventory, and stock a wider array of pieces. The minimum wage for millennials ranges from £5.40 for under 18’s and just over £7 for those who are 21. Trends tend to come and go with each passing year but for a while now street vintage has remained the primary aesthetic for most millennials, not because of personal style but for the simple reality that is realistic spending. In huge store chains like Tk Max you can typically buy five items for the price of one River Island dress, so realistically speaking that is more money for student night at your local club.

It is only in the past year, that the need for clothes has shifted slightly. Now, for millennials especially, there is a consensus that the money is well spent if used for an exclusive statement piece. Sports brands like Ellesse and Kappa sell a typical windbreaker for £70 and their vintage selections retail at considerably more. Festivals have also added to the vintage rage by subtly dictating millennial fashion, this has slowly seeped into the everyday lives of regular partiers. Bucket hats and wacky printed shirts were entirely confined to the muddy fields of festivals and raves but you are now more likely to see mainstream retailers stocking those items for everyday use. Your average shopper is more likely to invest £135 in a retro Palace T-shirt simply because there are very few of them on the market. Current millennial style seems to be less about cost and more centred around the exclusivity of the product.

Typically, in the fashion industry, trends are pre-ordained by the huge fashion houses; this is still the case but is slowly changing to become the opposite. Once vintage street style became the new mass aesthetic we steadily saw a rise of retro looks among the world’s top models and celebrities. It appeared as if the luxury glamour of the 90’s supermodel era was slowly diminishing, replaced by a grungy street tone already recognised by the public.

Vintage street style - hugely popular and imposes a strange irony on the present. This is because present day millennials are so obsessed with the past even though their minds are so determined to make a better tomorrow. This is a strangely beautiful irony that not many people seem to realise, but it does not come without its controversy. In a bid to become individual have millennials simply turned the alternative into the mainstream? If this was true, then unfortunately it does detract from the brilliance of its origin. Regardless of its meaning, vintage fashion is at an all-time high. With each year, another decade becomes ‘retro’ so there doesn’t seem to be a sell by date on this timeless trend.

Words by Kieran Galpin | Photography & Curation by Max Bareham | Models: George Bucks & Kaija Hunter