The Future Of Vintage Fashion

With High Street

Research Report (RMR)

TIANTIAN ZHAO
N0533008
FASH20039
Lucy Stewart

Content
1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2
1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Research Aim and Objectives...................................................................................... 2
1.3 Research Scope and Limitations ............................................................................... 3
2.0 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Research Approach ......................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Secondary Research Method ...................................................................................... 3
2.3 Primary Research Method ........................................................................................... 4
3.0 Literature review ...................................................................................................................... 4
Definition of vintage fashion .............................................................................................. 4
Consumer behavior ............................................................................................................... 5
Economic ................................................................................................................................... 6
5.0 Reference ..................................................................................................................................... 8
6.0 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................ 10
Gantt Chat ........................................................................................................................................ 12

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background
Vintage fashion has been a strong trend in the past decades, which influences
the collections inspiration of fashion brand (Cervellon, 2012; Nobbs et al.,
2011). The mainstream trend of vintage fashion arise in the 1980s, since then
the trend increases popularity of designers and luxury brand, such as Alber
Elbaz for Lanvin, Tom Ford for Saint Laurent and alexander for McQueen
(McColl ea al., 2012; Odulate, 2008). However, Bennett and Cassidy (2012)
claimed the vintage fashion trend may be considered has a clash effect on fast
fashion, because vintage is not in-the-moment trends synonymous. Fast
fashion is a key business strategy for high street fashion retailers, which
reduce the processes related to buying cycle and lead-time for getting new
products, ensure quickly satisfy consumers demand at its peak season
(Bennett and Cassidy, 2012; Barnes and Lea-Greenwood, 2006). As the trend
of vintage fashion rises, little is know the future of vintage fashion on high
street.
1.2 Research Aim and Objectives
Bearing this mind, the aim of this paper is to investigate the characteristics of
the consumers who consume the vintage fashion clothing and the market
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distribution of vintage style clothing in fashion industry, then through secondary

and primary research make comprehensive report of the likely future of vintage
fashion. The objective can be summarized as following:
1. To identify the definition of vintage fashion and review the literature relating
to vintages consumers behavior and economic of vintage fashion retailers.
2. To critically analysis the results of a survey of consumer and the interview
of vintage fashion retailer
3. To speculate how vintage fashion can develop with high street and provide
recommendation about how vintage fashion can improve.
1.3 Research Scope and Limitations
The research covers the vintage fashion on fashion industry now and future,
and connecting the consumers behavior, demographics and purchase
intention. The research also has limitations as the data about vintage fashion
on high street is difficult to collect. In terms of sample of questionnaire and
interview, investigating is only focus on small group, which cannot regarded as
representative group of vintage fashion. Therefore, it can not provide the
comprehensive result.

2.0 Methodology

2.1 Research Approach

The research will adopt a combination approach of both using deduction and
induction. The deduction approach is used to collect existing literature to
define vintage fashion and vintage consumer. The induction approach is work
by survey data and analysis a likely future of vintage fashion.
2.2 Secondary Research Method
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The resources of secondary research include books, journal articles, report

and online resources. Most sources are online, three books found on boots
library.
2.3 Primary Research Method
The primary researches including two main parts, designing questionnaire and
interviewing with vintage fashion retailers. The questionnaire aiming as sent to
80 potential consumers in the vintage store or on the street at Nottingham and
London, the age of respondents ranged from 18 to 70. Data collected through
questionnaire survey could help to gain an understanding of vintage fashion
consumer demographics, spending habits and the reasons why they choose to
buy vintage fashions. The interview aims to contact five vintage fashion
retailers, which include high street vintage retailer and secong-hand vintage
store. The data from interview could gain a depth understanding about lifestyle
of vintage consumer and the sales of vintage fashion.

3.0 Literature review

Definition of vintage fashion

Vintage clothing is produced in the period between 1920~1980, which
influenced by history (Cervellon, 2012). Specifically, from the centre of fashion
change from Paris to New York because of Second World War, since then the
Eisenhower-style waist-length jack became the representatives of 40s, then
London led the fashion and young people began to express their freedom
concept through fashion, so the Space Age design, miniskirt and psychedelic
dress is particularly in 60s, after that, fashion become more various by
creative designers, but the punk fashion and glam rock style still made a
strong influence for 70s which is a riotous ten years (Godfrey, 2013;
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Rhodes,2006). Generally, these styles are referred to as vintage style or

retro style (Cervellon, 2012). As for vintage fashion, it is representation of
past trends from different eras of the twentieth century (Bennett and Cassidy,
2012). McColl et al., (2012), Rhodes (2006), Bennett and Cassidy (2012)
found that all fashion trends are recycled, vintage fashion also are
experiencing a recent revival period in fashion. The awareness and interest of
consumer for vintage clothing has increased observably since the early 1990s,
as Rhodes (2006) claim that people interested in vintage fashion deeply
almost is physical response to fashion (Bennett and Cassidy, 2012; Rhodes,
2006). Then the vintage fashion trend gained a slow but steady growth, today
even couture designers prefer to learn and mimicking details from the vintage
style, such as pin tuck, prints and pattern-cuts in their own designs (Bennett
and Cassidy, 2012; Rhodes, 2006). However, vintage fashion is different with
second-hand, one participant present his opinion (McColl et al., 2012):
Vintage fashion isnt something that is just old. If a 50s dress
is an ugly hideous rag that is what it is, an ugly hideous rag.
Vintage is the very, very best of its type.
Consumer behavior
Consumers craze for vintage style creates confusion in the mind of the
uniformed consumer (Catalane and Chung, 2005). So who is the vintage
consumer? Bennett and Cassidy (2012) who defined that female consumer
are more prefer to be attracted by the vintage trend than male. As for age,
there are two consumer groups identified, one is young consumer who
between 18-25 years old, the other one is older consumer who aged 30-70
and has higher level of education and higher income (McColl et al., 2012;
Catalane and Chung, 2005). In addition, other types of vintage consumer are
the ethical consumer who aware of environmental issues and recycling and
business consumer who are designer or stylists (McColl et al., 2012). The
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mainly reason of consumer collect vintage fashion clothes is that they need a
self-expression, nostalgic compensation and an emotional need (Cervellon,
2012; Bennett and Cassidy, 2012; Catalane and Chung, 2005). Young
persons tend to express uniqueness in a social compare to other individuals,
hence wearing vintage fashion clothing be seen as a good method for
distinguishing themselves and improving personal uniqueness (Cervellon,
2012; McColl et al., 2012) Vintage clothes almost stand for a cultural
document, the nostalgic and historical symbol makes such item special, this
element motivate older consumers towards the purchase of vintage fashion
clothing (Catalane and Chung, 2005; McColl et al., 2012). Moreover, Jens
claim through consuming vintage could satisfy the curiosity of young people
who have not experience the time (Cervellon, 2012). Both people who collect
vintage clothes and people who sell fashion clothes state the first case the
transaction is possessive of the items, especially the fashion involvement,
who considered vintage fashion is stylish and trendy, should positively
purchase the vintage fashion piece (Cervellon, 2012; Catalane and Chung,
2005)
Economic
There has also been a steady growth in the vintage clothing market (Beard,
2008). With the popularity of vintage fashion increased and the stigma for
second-hand clothing decreased, vintage inspired are available in a more
wider range of size and more affordable than the original piece (Cervellon,
2012; Bennett and Cassidy, 2012). Catalane and Chung (2005) summed up
five main purposes of selling vintage fashion clothes, which are good selling,
appeals to everybody, the business of nostalgia and image of a new
fashion and recyclable. Although according to the survey of vintage
purchases and the longevity of vintage trend found that more than half of the
respondents spend less than 40 per month, there still have more than half of
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the respondents have engaged with the vintage trend for five years or more
(Bennett and Cassidy, 2012). Alexandra Palmer states that despite of price,
vintage fashion has shifted from submarket to mass market nowadays
because fashion is rarely exclusive (Beard, 2008). Thus Bennett and Cassidy
(2012) suggest that in recent years, vintage fashion can be seen have a long
active interest, the growth of this interest is stimulated and supported by
fashion consumer who from diverse demographics.
Furthermore, Vintage fashion can be viewed as an ethical fashion, because it
is considered as a form of recycling and reusing fashion (Beard, 2008;
Bennett and Cassidy, 2012). As mentioned by Fletcher (2008) said 2.35
million tones of waste clothing were generated in landfills every year in UK
(sited in Bennett and Cassidy, 2012). Therefore, recycling a garment by
passing it on for resale could be expected to solve this practical situation
(Beard, 2008). There is a typical fashion brand about vintage fashion on high
street Urban Renewal, which is a line of Urban Outfitters (comunale, 2008).
Urban Renewal consists of six recycled collection of vintage pieces, called
Originals,

Re-made,

Surplus,

Customised,

Remnants

and

One-Of-A-Kind. These six collections are used different way to redone the
vintage piece, such as Customised is re-imagining with unique finishes and
embellishments on original vintage piece and Remnants is making up new
designs from rare vintage materials. However, all collections have a
representative characteristic that is every clothes is unique item. Marc Gobe
has stated that Urban Outfitters allows every customers is the individual,
artistic type who stylizes clothes (comunale, 2008).

5.0 Reference

BARNES and LEA-GREENWOOD, 2006. Fast fashioning the supply chain:

shaping the research agenda. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management:
An International Journal [online], 10 (3), pp.259 271. Available at:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/13612020610679259
[Accessed 30th October 2014]
BEARD, D., 2008. The Branding of Ethical Fashion and the Consumer: A
Luxury Niche or Mass-market Reality? Fashion Theory, 12 (4), pp. 447468
CASSIDY, D. and BENNETT, R., 2012. The Rise of Vintage Fashion and the
Vintage Consumer. Fashion Practice [online], 4 (2), pp. 239-262. Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175693812X13403765252424 [Accessed 28th
October 2014]
CATALANI and CHUNG, 2005. Vintage or Fashion Clothes? An Investigation
inside the Issues of Collecting and Marketing Second-hand Clothes [online].
Available at:
http://neumann.hec.ca/aimac2005/PDF_Text/CatalinaA_ChungY.pdf
[Accessed 27th October 2014]
CERVELLON, CAREY AND HARMS, 2012. Something old, something used
Determinants of womens purchase of vintage fashion vs second-hand fashion.
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management [online], 40, pp.
8

956-974. Available at: www.emeraldinsight.com/0959-0552.htm [Accessed

27th October 2014]
COMUNALE, 2008. You Are Who You Wear: A Conceptual Study of the
Fashion Branding Practices of H&M, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters [online].
Available at: http://services.library.drexel.edu/static_files/dsmr/Communale.pdf
[Accessed 29th October 2014]
GODFREY, 2013. Vintage Fashion. London: Arcturus.
MCCOLL, 2012. Its Vintage Darling! An exploration of vintage fashion retailing.
The Journal of The Textile Institute [online], 104 (2), pp. 140-150. Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2012.702882 [Accessed 27th October
2014]
NOBBS,K. et al., 2011. An exploratory study into the strategic significance of
visual merchandising: The case of vintage fashion retailing [online]. Available
at:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/nobbsfapaper.pd
f [Accessed 28th October 2014]
ODULATE, 2008. SHOPPING FOR VINTAGE. Great Britain: Quadrille.
RHODES, 2006. Vintage Fashion - collecting and wearing designer classic.
London: Carlton Books.
URBAN OUTFITTERS, 2014. URBAN RENEWAL VINTAGE. London:
UrbanOutfitter. Available at:
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk/catalog/category.jsp?id=VINTAGE-EU
[Accessed 29th October 2014]

6.0 Bibliography

BARNES and LEA-GREENWOOD, 2006. Fast fashioning the supply chain:

shaping the research agenda. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management:
An International Journal [online], 10 (3), pp.259 271. Available at:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/13612020610679259
[Accessed 30th October 2014]
BEARD, D., 2008. The Branding of Ethical Fashion and the Consumer: A
Luxury Niche or Mass-market Reality? Fashion Theory, 12 (4), pp. 447468
CASSIDY, D. and BENNETT, R., 2012. The Rise of Vintage Fashion and the
Vintage Consumer. Fashion Practice [online], 4 (2), pp. 239-262. Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175693812X13403765252424 Accessed 28th
October 2014]
CATALANI and CHUNG, 2005. Vintage or Fashion Clothes? An Investigation
inside the Issues of Collecting and Marketing Second-hand Clothes [online].
Available at:
http://neumann.hec.ca/aimac2005/PDF_Text/CatalinaA_ChungY.pdf
[Accessed 27th October 2014]
CERVELLON, CAREY AND HARMS, 2012. Something old, something used

10

Determinants of womens purchase of vintage fashion vs second-hand fashion.

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management [online], 40, pp.
956-974. Available at: www.emeraldinsight.com/0959-0552.htm [Accessed
27th October 2014]
COMUNALE, 2008. You Are Who You Wear: A Conceptual Study of the
Fashion Branding Practices of H&M, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters [online].
Available at: http://services.library.drexel.edu/static_files/dsmr/Communale.pdf
[Accessed 29th October 2014]
GODFREY, 2013. Vintage Fashion. London: Arcturus.
MCCOLL et al., 2012. Its Vintage Darling! An exploration of vintage fashion
retailing. The Journal of The Textile Institute [online], 104 (2), pp. 140-150.
Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2012.702882 [Accessed 27th
October 2014]
NOBBS,K. et al., 2011. An exploratory study into the strategic significance of
visual merchandising: The case of vintage fashion retailing [online]. Available
at:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/nobbsfapaper.pd
f [Accessed 28th October 2014]
ODULATE, 2008. SHOPPING FOR VINTAGE. Great Britain: Quadrille.
RHODES, 2006. Vintage Fashion - collecting and wearing designer classic.
London: Carlton Books.
ROSEMARY, 2007. Chained Melody, or Putting Paco Rabanne in his Place.
Costume, 41, pp. 126-136
SAUNDERS, LEWIS, THORNHILL, 2012. RESEARCH METHODS FOR
BUSINESS STUDENT. 6th ed. London: Pearson Education
URBAN OUTFITTERS, 2014. URBAN RENEWAL VINTAGE. London:
UrbanOutfitter. Available at:
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk/catalog/category.jsp?id=VINTAGE-EU
11

[Accessed 29th October 2014]

Gantt Chat

12