RETRO REVIVAL WHY VINTAGE IS STILL TRENDING
by Jennifer Holstein
EVERY SEASON SEEMS TO BRING NEW TRENDS in fashion and home design. Stylists weigh in on the must-haves, encouraging you to update your look to keep you on trend. But one of the hottest looks in both home and fashion right now isn’t new—it’s a blast from the past. Rattan, 70’s textiles, avocado green and orange accent colours, curvy furniture: the vintage trend is on point. Style has always been cyclical, with throwbacks to a bygone era always seeming to make a comeback. Clothing retailers in particular, keep recycling trends of the past to market to a new consumer base—don’t get us started on mom jeans! This hunger for vintage style is creating a booming business in the re-sale market. Online vintage marketplaces, like Chairish, have seen their business double since 2020. But what is driving this recent surge of interest in antique, vintage, and retro? There are a lot of factors involved (economic, environmental, social, and psychological) in making everything old seem cool again. The pandemic has changed the way we work and live, and many of us spend more time at home. People have turned to styles of the past that evoke a more confident, safer, happier time. We are also budget conscious, and more mindful of environmental sustainability. A 2020 survey by thrift giant Value Village reported that 33% of shoppers were “financially squeezed,” with less disposable income than before COVID. And, of course, recent supply-chain disruptions are making it more difficult to buy new. THE NOSTALGIA EFFECT: REMEMBERED JOY
Whether it’s an antique dresser that reminds you of your grandmother’s home, a woven wall hanging that takes you back to high school art class, or surrounding ourselves with items that conjure specific memories or feelings from the past, nostalgia can be both comforting and invigorating. It is amazing that our brains can take sensory inputs of smells, sounds, and sights and associate them with positive emotions from our past. Hundreds of years ago, nostalgia was seen to be a disease of the mind that required medical treatment mostly because it was thought to negatively impact homesick soldiers on the military campaign trail. Now, from a psychological standpoint, having this emotional gateway to our past is understood to be good for our mental health. Studies suggest that engaging in nostalgic thoughts can build our self-esteem and lessen feelings of loneliness by looking to the past for confidence and encouragement. 8 PASSIONS | SUMMER WINTER 2022 2022
