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The brand on its way to becoming the most popular of all
by Laura Scholz
Fashion lingo: what’s the difference between vintage and secondhand?
29.6.2022
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
The fashion world is brimming with terms – the meaning of which are sometimes far from obvious. This dictionary’s designed to help you get an overview. For example, when is an item of clothing vintage and when is it secondhand? Or does that mean the same thing?
If you’re like me and passionate about buying used clothes and accessories, you’ve probably said things like I have: «Cool, right? It’s vintage.» It just has a great ring to it. In any case, it sounds much more chic than secondhand – less worn, less used. You’ll always be envied for a great vintage find. Now here’s the thing... not every secondhand item is vintage. And not every vintage item is secondhand, by the way. So what do they have in common? Contrary to popular belief, neither of them need to have been worn previously. It’s a bit confusing, I know. That’s why I’m trying to clarify things here.
What does secondhand mean?
As the name suggests, secondhand fashion has already been in someone else’s hands. Items that have already had at least one previous owner. Whether they were actually used or stayed in the wardrobe untouched with a price tag on them is irrelevant. The crux is, the term says absolutely nothing about the item’s age. Secondhand could mean four days or thirty years old.
What does vintage mean?
If you’re talking wine, vintage stands for the year the grapes were picked. In this case it’s the older the better. One dictionary definition reads: «...denoting something from the past of high quality». Both those adjectives also apply to our much-loved vintage fashion. It has to be of the past. To earn the term vintage, a garment must be at least 20 years old. It’s as simple as that. It might additionally have the label secondhand if it already had one or several owners. Or it might be categorised as «new vintage». It’s a term designers in particular like to throw around when they dig up unworn pieces from their infinite archives and unleash them into the world after more than 20 years.
The lowdown
Very few of the secondhand items we snag on platforms such as Vestiaire Collective, Depop, Vide Dressing or in beautifully curated brick-and-mortar stores are truly vintage. It’s just a term that sounds really good. However, due to their 20-plus years of age, most vintage items are usually also secondhand.
Have a question? About vintage/secondhand or another fashion term? Let me know in the comments which word needs to make the fashion dictionary next.
Header image: Laura Chouette via Unsplash
Laura Scholz
Senior Editor
Laura.Scholz@digitecgalaxus.chAlways in the mood for good hits, great trips and clinking drinks.
Fashion
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