Some ideas deserve to be enhanced, remembered, renewed and reinterpreted, regardless of their age. This certainly goes for fashion, just like in other aspects of life.

 

Designers and style departments have always drawn inspiration from trends of the past, updating them so that they can be contextualised within contemporary aesthetic and social codes.

 

Accessing this world of taste, knowledge and know-how is much simpler than you think, and anyone who is used to buying vintage is all too aware.

 

THERE IS A THRIVING MARKET THAT PUTS PRE-OWNED GOODS INTO CIRCULATION, GIVING A NEW LEASE OF LIFE TO GARMENTS OR ACCESSORIES OF GREAT QUALITATIVE AND SYMBOLIC VALUE. 

 

Until a few years ago, vintage and second-hand were niches reserved for connoisseurs and expert bargain hunters. Things have started to change in recent times.

 

IT'S AS THOUGH OUR COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE IS SLOWLY REAWAKENING: TIRED OF BEING TREATED LIKE APATHETIC CONSUMERS OF TRADITIONAL FASHION, WE ARE TRYING TO RECLAIM OUR IDENTITY.

 

 

By making ethical and mindful choices for example, focused on quality rather than quantity. By avoiding impulse buying, typical of fast fashion. Or, by buying accessibly priced vintage and luxury second-hand haute couture items.

 

 

 

 

So, what are the advantages of this habit, which has been spreading throughout Italy, from France, the USA and UK, where it has taken root for some time now? 

 

 

BE DISTINCTIVE AND UNIQUE

By buying vintage you espouse the concept of uniqueness: acquiring garments and accessories from the past means you can wear an item with a precise identity, which distinguishes it from all others. It sets us apart from everyone else, liberating us from a system of fleeting trends, so that we can embrace timeless contents and meanings. 

 

 

DEMAND QUALITY IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE

You may have noticed that today's garments are often made with synthetic fibres, which are difficult to dispose of, short-lived and more expensive to make. When creating the UNVAGUE archive, we checked the labels of every single garment, including composition and place of production. These are fundamental factors for those who like us, have an eye of regard for context as well as content. This is why we are so sure of what we are stating: in the past it was normal to use more natural fibres: wool, cotton, silk. Garments were made to stand the test of time, in geographic areas renowned for experience and craftsmanship, like Italy, France and Japan. 

 

 

CHOOSE GARMENTS THAT LAST 

It is no coincidence that longevity is one of the advantages of buying vintage: if the garment or accessory you have chosen has stood the test of time (and washes), then it has been made well and with the best fabrics. Can the same be said for products we are used to buying today?
Not always, unfortunately: the time has come to open our eyes and take a long, hard look at our habits as consumers, all too often stripped of substance and overwhelmed by neurotic rhythms. Now is the time to demand quality: in fashion and all other areas of our lives. 

 

 

 

ENTER THE WORLD OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Buying vintage and luxury second hand means entering the world of circular economy, because when we buy quality items, we are making an investment in something that can be sold in the future. Embrace this way of life and you will free yourself from the pangs of guilt caused by impulse buying, while becoming mindful of the intrinsic value of your wardrobe.

 

 

  

FIND YOUR VERY OWN STYLE 

Immerse yourself in atmospheres of the past and you'll discover the infinite potential of choices, because vintage is everything that has already been experienced, in every style and taste. It is the eternal return of fashion, the star of a narrative that draws inspiration from the past, offering trends that designers reinterpret in light of contemporary aesthetic and social codes. Browse our archive and see for yourself: there's something vintage to suit all tastes.

 

 

BUY BEAUTIFUL THINGS AT A FAIR PRICE

Carpe diem, seize the day. Or in our case, grab that bargain. This is often one of the main reasons why fine fashion enthusiasts love vintage and second hand: the chance to buy beautiful items without spending a fortune, to snap up valuable items at a fraction of their original price. Inspiring brands, iconic items and exclusive garments by designers in the Olympus of fashion: anything is possible in the world of vintage, all you need to do is believe in it.

 

 

CHOOSE ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE FASHION 

We have saved the most important point for last. Let’s just say it loud and clear: vintage is absolutely the most ethical form of shopping. Everyone knows that fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world, due to over-production (an entire truckload of fabric ends up in the trash every second, and around half of all fast fashion products are discarded within the first year), and production processes that devour huge amounts of water, excessively rely on synthetic fibres, additives and production facilities in the remotest of places.  

 

As far as buying is concerned, in the last twenty years we have completely lost the plot. Fashion has become disposable, not unlike our ethics, tarnished by an obsession for appearances and impulse buying.

 

So, where do we start? From changing the way in which we buy things, opting for brands that don't settle for a little greenwashing and have consciously chosen to go down the slower path of sustainable production. Or by making quality vintage purchases.

 

After all, what could be greener than giving a new lease of life to a valuable garment, retold and relived in a new and exciting narrative ?