Before the sustainable fashion movement came along in the more recent years, vintage stores were holding down the fort for decades and helped people buy and sell gently-used clothing. In India, vintage clothing, which is essentially used clothing, didn’t really have a place in the shopping scene due to the social stigma around wearing other people’s clothes and old wives’ tales about the same. Alas, things are changing rapidly now and as our environment suffers the consequences of the fast-fashion industry, shoppers are more intrigued by going vintage. Here are just some of the philosophies behind why we love all things vintage!
- Sharing is caring
Especially in India, women with spending power have heaps and heaps of designer clothing that hasn’t been worn in ages. It sits in the back of the closet and collects dust and loses serious fashion cred. If you’re not into selling your things to a vintage store, consider doing a closet clean-up and loaning these timeless items to a friend.
- Old is gold
Countless people have walked into a thrift or vintage shop abroad and found Chanel bags, Prada jackets, and Versace accessories at just a portion of the cost! In India things are a little different, and most of our valuable pieces of the past come in the form of intricately woven silk sarees and hand-painted jewellery. Make sure you sort through all this stuff and try to integrate these back into your life. Remember, these are pieces that you can hand down to your daughter one day!
- One man’s trash is another man’s treasure
Always keep this golden rule in mind as you’re thinking about discarding some of that old stuff. Find a vintage shop in your city, take your old clothes – both Indian and western, and let someone else find joy in what you no longer want!
Stay tuned for our upcoming posts as we explore the vintage scene in Mumbai!
Team SFD
