Google “Why Vintage Clothing”. Some of the many many results you’ll find out -skip the article for Kim Kardashian’s and Meghan Markle’s vintage outfits, thank you- is that since the 70s the global production of textile fibres has tripled, while every year around 27kg of textile waste (as in clothing and linens) per person go to waste. Don’t even get me started on the environmental impact of the fashion industry, from production to distribution. The fashion industry contributes 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions -there I said it!
When it comes to our clothes, the problem is not only production and distribution. It is way deeper. To use the wisdom of Maths, while we have actually bought 60% more garments in 2014 than in 2000, we only kept the clothes for half as long. And since we waste faster, companies produce even faster. According to a Briefing from the European Parliament on the fashion industry impact in Europe, fashion companies shifted from producing an average of 2 collections per year, to five collections. At the same time, major fast fashion companies go even beyond that by offering 12 or even 24 collections per year. To make it even simpler, fast fashion companies can produce a new collection every 15 days, that is twice a month.
But I bet if you went now in a Vintage Apparel, you would most probably hate it. Most of the time, it is not even the clothing piece that draws us to buy. It is the entire shopping experience. When you enter a shop or even an online shop, the colors and the lines look all so appealing to the eye. You are sure that you need it or that anyways, well, you’ll find the occasion to wear it. The clothes themselves “start the conversation” with you.
When you enter a vintage shop, you have to do most of the work. Some of the clothes might look way too old, some of them might be even dirty. Once you find your first unique piece, you will slowly start understanding the potential of the clothes. You will create the interaction. You will establish your needs. Then, You will wonder about the story behind the piece. At some point, you will start thinking of transformations -well, change the buttons or cut it and you will get a whole new piece. A whole new world.
If you look up the definition of “vintage”, it is the “time when something of quality was produced”. Some pieces last forever, while others last for 15 days. It is our choice after all. Ecosophia means sustainability and sustainability means keeping the things that matter forever.