Vintage clothing has long been a popular choice for the fashion-savvy, and now an increasing demand for garments from yesteryear has led to a sudden rise in vintage shops and fairs in Liverpool.
Perhaps the hub of the newly found love for old clothes, Bold Street is now a main attraction for vintage lovers with five current stores dedicated to the trend, three others with vintage sections and one new store about to open this week.
Vintage wear is recycled clothing from previous decades, often dating back to the 1920s. The appeal is not only in the style of the clothes which are constantly coming back into fashion, but also the desire to have one of a kind quality pieces at a budget price.
Shop assistant at Pop Boutique Sarah Coffey explained to JMU Journalism what she thinks the appeal is: “Generally the quality is a lot better and the styles are recycled like there’s no new styles as such it all comes back from the 40s, 50s and now the 90s is in so it’s easier to use stuff that’s already there rather than get new stuff.
“For me personally it’s the materials, you can get silk shirts for under £20 and you can’t get that anywhere else.”
A new shop that is hoping to bring a new style and change perceptions of vintage stores is Deep Vintage who already have shops in Newcastle, York and Middleborough and will open on Bold Street this week.
Tom Seddon, Deep Vintage Owner told JMU Journalism: “It’s not like a vintage shop, we do it completely different to everyone else and people can see that when we open. You could put ours on the high street next to all the main shops and you wouldn’t be able to tell it was a vintage store really. We spend a lot and pay out and make sure that what we do is the best.”
Katy Moussaada, founder of Pillbox vintage told JMU Journalism: “Looking at other shops like the ones in Liverpool One where you can literally see the inspiration from vintage, its literally a case of well I can spend £50 there on a jacket from Topshop or I can spend £12 on basically exactly the same jacket just because it’s got a Topshop label in it.”
Deep Vintage will take retro shops on Bold Street up to a total of six. As the trend continues to expand fashion lovers can expect to see 90s fashion making a huge comeback this winter and a lot less shops following the catchphrase ‘out with the old, and in with the new.’