Vintage fashion: a revival

Fashion trends come and go but one thing always remains the same – our desire to seek inspiration from the past. Rocking a full vintage look or seeing retro designs hit the catwalk has become now commonplace, while some people take it to the extreme and even live as though they’re from days gone by. But what does this mean for the industry? And can your brand get in on the action? Here’s our take… 

Adding vintage to your range 

Whether you’re after one off pieces to complement your contemporary products (customers love to mix and match) or want to make the switch to selling only second hand, you have tons of options. 

Type in ‘vintage wholesale UK’ into your search engine of choice and there’s over 110 million results to choose from. While this means you’re spoilt for choice if you want to add vintage products to your range, it also means a lot of research is in order. 

Choosing to go vintage isn’t as easy as ordering a few boxes of denim jackets. Often wholesalers will ask to meet you in person so they can curate the right products. And don’t forget to make sure you’ve budgeted for large volume purchases. 

It’s also important not to sell vintage on a whim. The vintage community is super-respected so it’s worth popping out to events to make connections and ensure you’re fully educated about vintage best practice. 

Where to sell your vintage goods

ASOS Marketplace, eBay and Etsy are best known for being vintage-positive platforms but it’s Depop that’s been described as ‘the site that’s shaking up the fashion industry’. With 10 million users (mostly millennials setting up mini-businesses) it’s easy to see why. Depop has become synonymous with selling vintage fashion so it’s the best place to start building your audience. 

The pros and cons of the vintage trend

Everyone jumping on the vintage bandwagon has its downsides. Starting with copycatting and a lack of originality from designers each season. In fact, blogs such as Diet Prada now exist solely to call out this behaviour and encourage designers to be mindful of where they get their inspiration. 

However, making vintage cool again is kinder to the planet. Selling vintage items mean the lifespan of each garment is longer and (hopefully) landfills become less full of discarded clothing. It also goes to show that clothes made well last decades longer than their modern fast fashion counterparts. 

And vintage isn’t just about reselling the work of someone else, it offers tons of scope for designers to get creative. This is known as ‘upcycling’. In fact, one of our most recent customers, Silly Girl Club, creates pieces made from retro Disney fabric. Nifty. 

Support to switch things up

Whether you want to start incorporating vintage fabric into your designs or you fancy selling retro goods as well as a contemporary collection, we’re here to help. Armed with oodles of ideas and all the know-how, our friendly experts are waiting to make your branding dreams a reality. 

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