Vintage Vs Fast Fashion:The Problems, Solutions & Where to Start Shopping Vintage?

By Olivia Dennison

We all love a unique style. Fashion is arguably one of the most explicit ways to express this. Our style encompasses our personality and is often the main signifier to those around us of what kind of a person we are. Fashion is a way of making a statement and it can portray things about us such as our interests, humour, approach to life and what subcultures we belong to, the list goes on and on.

Additionally, how we display ourselves through clothing depends on a myriad of overlapping factors such as available retailers, our taste in clothing, our budget and the people that influence us. Vintage shopping has always been popular among students, perhaps due to the bargains that can be found or a desire to express individuality, to differentiate themselves in a sea of people of the same age that likely shop at the same known retailers.

Vintage has been defined by Vogue as clothing or accessories that were made 20+ years ago. Vintage is so popular because the quality generally stands the test of time and wasn’t on the same scale of mass manufacturing and distributing that you see today. So, let’s explore some more ways and benefits of shopping vintage instead of shopping fast fashion.

We all have a certain budget to shop with and this can be especially difficult for students. Some vintage stores in city centre areas such as Manchester can be extremely overpriced; there’s always a shabby, grey Nike hoodie with holes being sold for £40+. This can make it much easier for students to head to the Arndale or the Trafford Centre and spring for fast fashion brands for affordable versions of the same style or, for example, even buy the modern version of that a cheaper price during sale season. And who can blame them? It’s much simpler to stride into a high-street, chain retailer with the comfort of knowing you’ll be able to secure an on-trend top for this weekend’s night out for under £20.

Fast fashion is also readily available, but this is not necessarily a positive. The probability of somebody else arriving at the party in the same top after rushing to the same store post-5pm lecture to secure an outfit for the evening is not unlikely. We’ve all been there, and it’s the worst feeling. What’s to separate the two of you now? The whole evening becomes a mental torment of ‘Who wore it better?’. People you haven’t met before confuse the two of you for each other, and you certainly will never wear the top again out of embarrassment.While the garment may have seemed cool and just like something you had seen your favourite TikTok influencer in, you realise now that this is its purpose.

High-street retail brands exist to appeal to masses of people. The clothes may be ok, but they

London where you can snatch 1kg of clothes for £15, which is enough weight for a whole outfit! I remember visiting my first kilo sale on my seventeenth birthday. I fell in love with a meshy, purple blouse with flared sleeves, that’s still in my wardrobe now. It will never not slay when paired with black, flared trousers and chunky cowboy boots (think Stevie Nicks!). I’ve been a loyal attendee to kilo sales ever since.

Charity shopping is also a great way to find vintage clothes and brands you love without breaking the bank, life-changing impact that shopping for pre-loved clothing can have.

Charity shops in cities may come with a higher price tag due to their location and demand. However, heading to those that are near to university campuses is a great way to find amazing, donated items from students that have similar taste to you. Not only does shopping second hand in charity stores help vulnerable people, but it also helps the planet. By purchasing pre-loved clothing, you are reusing and recycling, reducing landfill, reducing the world’s are often plain, so that they can be adapted to anybody’s style. Conglomerates that own many of the most successful retails brands take little risk with their collections, so that they can produce a colossal scale of stock that they can guarantee will sell and be loved by everyone.Yes, they might be a cheap, quick fix for your last-minute fashion emergencies, but there are also ways around paying a fortune for vintage fashion.

Universities and their student societies often hold their own clothes exchanges or kilo sales that encourage students to shop second-hand or vintage clothing. Kilo sales are a great way to get the most for your money. Vintage store Blue Rinse hosts kilo sales in Manchester, Leeds and and it dedicates your hard-earned money to a good cause. Charities undertake a massive amount of work to support those that are vulnerable. So here’s where your money could be going if you choose to shop second hand…

If you shop at Oxfam, you are supporting people working towards ending poverty. Money raised from Mind stores is spent supporting people experiencing mental health problems. British Heart Foundation stores help to fund medical research that combats heart and circulatory diseases. When you make a purchase at an RSPCA shop, you are supporting people who are undertaking animal rescue and promoting animal welfare. These are just a few examples of the carbon footprint, and reducing emissions that are created from importing mass produced fast fashion. By shopping for preowned clothing, you are also refusing to support poor working conditions and exploitation often attached to fast fashion retailers.

Another perk to shopping for vintage clothing is that vintage stores are not confined to stocking certain sizes and shapes of clothing. This often restricts the customer base of many high-street stores and does not represent the diversity of body types in the population. High-street retailers produce specific styles in specific sizes which gatekeeps certain looks for a specific type of person. Many vintage clothes, as a result of being reworked or mended, do not have sizes labelled on them, and this can be an extremely freeing way to shop.

The amazing thing about vintage clothes is that anybody is encouraged to wear them regardless of age, gender, body type and so on. They come from the past and are not being marketed to or pushed onto a certain type of person. Everybody wears vintage clothes differently, and whether when you try it on it’s oversized, cropped, baggy or figure-hugging, there is nobody there to tell you how it should be worn. Rules go out of the window when you step foot in a vintage store. If you are struggling to find your perfect size in a reworked clothing shop, many also offer alteration services, so keep your eyes peeled!

Vintage clothes are loved for their ability to be styled in a unique way and to express our personalities. Clashing colours, mixed-andmatched patterns and layering are all encouraged when creating vintage looks, it really can be more is more! Whilst high-street brands and their monotonous collections encourage sameness and fitting into society, swapping vogue for vintage is a fun way to style yourself if your taste does not conform to what everybody else is wearing.

To reiterate, vintage garments are often designed with high quality materials that can stand the test of time and lots of wear. We’ve all purchased denim jeans whose colour has faded after a handful of washes, but those classic Levi’s 501s that were first invented way back in 1873? They’ve got you. There’s no need to keep re-investing your hard-earned money in low-quality denim that you’re forced to dispose of after it splits only a few wears in, when you can find the perfect, highcalibre fit for under £25, and at the same time discourage crowded landfills. Who wouldn’t want to save money and shop ethically?

As previously mentioned, not all vintage stores have an extremely affordable price tag, so it isn’t about limiting your entire wardrobe to these shops only. A few, little changes can go a long way. You can save yourself lots of money, lower your carbon footprint and create your own unique style by shopping vintage. Or, maybe you’ll find inspiration to begin reworking your own clothes, and finally purchase that sowing machine you’ve always wanted! This is a great way to create truly individual looks and prevent textile waste. So next time you’re looking for a new statement necklace, some chunky Dr Martens, or a new top for the weekend, consider shopping vintage first !