It may seem contradictory to some, but the link between the luxury market and the second-hand goods is becoming increasingly tight. In the name of circularity and sustainability, even in the field of fashion we are witnessing a revolution aimed at generating a sustainable market.
In contrast to the traditional cliché that associates the sector with the use of sophisticated materials and expensive production chains, as well as a lack of concern for the environment and social issues, today also the luxury fashion sector wants to reduce its impact on the environment. But it is not just about that. Wearing an item of clothing or a second-hand luxury accessory means wearing a story.
A growing trend that gives personality
From the Kelly by Hermès, to the Diana by Gucci, to the Lady bag by Dior: a worn luxury bag on the arm and immediately we feel transported to the elegant Via Montenapoleone of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, benefiting in terms of personality. Because it is undeniable, the vintage lends an absolute originality to the outfit and is an interpreter of the character of the person wearing that accessory.
Wearing a second hand bag means giving voice to the need to emphasise more strongly the desire for individuality, in opposition to the asphyxiating tendency towards standardisation suggested by the dictates of contemporary fashion.
Although it may seem like an attitude light years away from what we may remember being in vogue years ago, wearing luxury vintage accessories is nothing too current. Suffice it to say that the first vintage dates back to the 1960s, inaugurated by Harriet Love in New York with the aim of bringing back the clothes of just twenty years earlier. We are therefore talking about a trend that is already over fifty years old, but which continues undaunted in the fashion world.
Carefully preserved or old and dilapidated?
Often there might be some pieces of paint or enamel missing, or there might be a trace of some stain that just wouldn't go away... buy a vintage luxury handbag means reckoning with its time.
Certain characteristics, however, are not a defect, but an added value. Capable of catapulting you into an ageless past, the signs of deterioration in the luxury vintage bags can be considered real distinguishing features. A bit like scars on the body, the wear and tear on a bag reminds one of fragments of a life actually lived, and this is priceless.
