The Gold Rushes of The Vintage World
Sarah Tracey
Vintage clothing brands like Dior and Chanel have been staples in the fashion industry since my grandmother was young. The market has exploded with vintage Chanel dresses; anyone who knows fashion would dislocate both arms trying to snatch a Chanel if they saw it on the rack at the Goodwill Store or even the Salvation Army! How does that happen? One must accept the fact that whoever bought that Chanel dress in the 30's either gave it away or possibly died, and that is how it arrived at its final destination - abandoned and left in a heaping pile of other used goods. I am not an expert on vintage, but It is no surprise that the recycled clothing business would consider these one of a kind finds to be like gold. This raises the question: how much of the vintage gold is left, and will the supply ever run out?
People who share my meaning of the word "vintage" feel there can only be so many pieces that have the timeless look of 1930's and 40's, right? Well, according to this article, we are wrong. Over the past few years, the word vintage has become a subcategory, and though it is still sought after, there is a new gold rush in the used clothing business, vintage T-shirts. According to the article, "While it may not be clear what "vintage" means, what is clear is that the business depends on the workers ability to spot it, because to let it whiz by with the flotsam is like flushing gold down the river along with the firm’s profits." Just the right vintage t-shirt can sell for hundreds of dollars at most vintage stores. "Certain T-shirts are hot right now, especially in Europe, New York, and Los Angeles.", says Sunny Stubin of Trans-Americas Trading Company. Consumers of vintage T-shirts are willing to pay top dollar to don the faces of an old-school Disney character or a 1970's rock band, regardless of the wear and tear on the T-shirts, they still just get better with age.
Finally the most shocking difference could be that these Vintage T-shirts are selling for 10 times more than they sold for when they were brand new. Is it the hunt for the item that makes it so desirable? Or a wistful longing to walk in the shoes (or shirt) of a person whom witnessed one of the 70's legendary rock concerts firsthand? How can the market for vintage clothing shift from Chanel and Dior to Disney and 70's rock band t-shirts? What is the correlation, or is it wrong to assume that there is one?
References
Rivoli, P. (2005), The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy ; John Wiley and Sons Publishers, Hoboken, NJ
pp 139-156; pp 175-211
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