Vintage and Second Hand part 1

Vintage is an attribute that defines the qualities and value of an object worn or produced at least twenty years before the present moment, and which can also refer to past centuries without necessarily being limited to the twentieth century.

The word derives from the old French vint (twenty) age (years), intended as produced at least twenty years earlier. In the same way that some wines, as they age, acquire characteristics that make them more valuable, also objects and products of the cultural industry acquire greater value over time.

The term vintage was then used to identify the superior quality of objects considered to be “cult” for different reasons, including the superior quality with which they were produced, when compared to other previous or subsequent productions of the same artifact and especially for the unrepeatability and non-reproducibility that distinguishes them, or for reasons related to culture or customs.

This appellation can be applied to objects and products of various kinds that are identifying a specific era including clothing, accessories, jewelry, design objects and cars.

— Definition of Vintage from Wikipedia

Vintage clothing we talked about in our previous article in reference to the Indigo Vintage archive in Prato is the protagonist of this new article.

This time let’s talk about what vintage clothing is and what can we say about this kind of clothing.

If we asked ourselves who invented Vintage? What would we find?

A brief online search reveals this article in which the famous Anna Piaggi, one of the true fashion icons of the past, is defined “inventor of vintage “. The eccentric journalist famous for her flashy and irreverent looks, in fact loved to mix garments taken from history with new ones, frequented flea markets and even went so far as to wear herself design objects or furnishings pieces, to build her colorful and irreverent outfits that amazed and divided every time she appeared at some public event.

But what are we really talking about when we refer to Vintage clothing?

As can be seen from the introduction to this article, which is the definition of Vintage that Wikipedia gives, to talk about Vintage it is necessary to refer to items of clothing that are at least twenty years old and that are not just “used” garments indeed, they may even have never been worn, but must have high-level aesthetic and/or qualitative characteristics to be defined as vintage. They must belong to some luxury brand or otherwise a brand however known from the past, which may still exists or has ceased its activity, in which case the object in question may further increase its value.

The determining factor in establishing its value in terms of cost can certainly be the price initial to which the item was purchased in addition of course to the aesthetic characteristics and the state of conservation of the garment.

In recent years, events and festivals related to vintage have spread throughout Italy, an example is Vinokilo, an event linked to vintage that collects garments of all kinds, divides them and organizes them and then periodically proposes them on sales weekends in many Italian cities. and European. Admission is by registering on their website and paying a symbolic ticket of a few euros. The sale of garments works by weight and the figure established per kilo varies over the three days of the event, going up by five euros a day. It is better, if possible, to go there on the first day!

“The Vinokilo project was born in Germany in 2016 from the idea of the young entrepreneur Robin Balser and in a short time it made itself known throughout Europe, landing a few years ago and successfully also in Italy. It is a “pop-up” (ie temporary) market for used clothes, but not only that, it is also an idea to transform ethical fashion into an experience in which everyone can take part, becoming the protagonists.”

From the article on the last Florentine stage.

Since 2003, Pitti Immagine has been organizing Vintage Selection, an event born from the idea of gathering exhibitors and collectors of vintage clothing and accessories from all over the world.

This event takes place twice a year as part of Pitti Filati, the Florentine event dedicated to knitwear yarns.

There are numerous Vintage shops in Italy, among the most famous Angelo shop and historical archive, present with two shops in the province of Ravenna, an online shop and now also present with pop up stores in various Italian cities.

Here in Prato, in Tuscany, where we are with our headquarters as Maglificio FMF, speaking of Vintage we have several places dedicated to the collection and resale of vintage clothing. Among others we mention Nowar and American Stuff, both specialized in the wholesale of quality vintage clothing and accessories.

Among the shops in the city center there is Gaudeli’s Vintage, in Via Magnolfi and the Coney Island Vintage Store, located at the beginning of Via Garibaldi coming from Piazza Mercatale.

Among the many shops specialized in Vintage clothing in Florence, however, we may mention Melrose Vintage, present with two stores, one in via Ginori, in the historic center, near the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, while the other in Largo Fratelli Alinari, almost in front of the Florentine Central Station Santa Maria Novella.

Both shops are spacious and well furnished with pieces of furniture and retro objects that blend well with the vintage items on display, well divided by product categories. There you can find sections dedicated to Levi’s jeans, leather jackets and shearlings, women’s clothing, areas dedicated to knitwear and shoes. Usually present Converse and Dr Martens combat boots from the 80s and 90s, as well as Texan boots now back as an increasingly trendy item in women’s footwear fashion in recent years.

Let’s not forget the accessories, always present areas dedicated to bags, scarves and patterned scarves always loved throughout the 1900s, and bow ties and ties in micro and macro patterns woven or printed in a thousand different colors.