Question

Topic: Research/Metrics

Vintage Clothing Market

Posted by Harry Hallman on 1/23/2009 at 9:17 AM ET 2000 Points
My daughter owns an online women’s clothing store [inactive link removed] and she is thinking of changing it to an all vintage clothing store. She has access to great vintage wear for both men and women and believes the trend is strong. The store currently has a small vintage section

I wanted to get some input from other marketers about the vintage market. Does anyone know what the trend is, how big the market is and what demographic is the best target?

Thanks for your input.


[Moderator: Inactive link removed from post. 2/14/2011]
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 1/23/2009 at 9:10 PM Accepted
    Looking at eBay, I see over 77000 vintage clothing items for sale/bidding:
    https://clothing.shop.ebay.com/items/Vintage__W0QQ_armrsZ1QQ_mdoZClothingQ2...

    Furthermore, there are a number of vintage eBay stores, so obviously she's not alone in her thinking.

    This article (from the LA Times) describes the upward trend for (high-end) vintage clothing: https://www.luxist.com/2008/10/08/vintage-clothing-sales-surge-in-bad-econo...

    As usual with any business, the key is identifying who's looking for what you're offering. Will the vintage wear be cheaper? Nostalgic? Trendy? What about the competition, especially thrift stores, Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.? Vintage wear has additional problems of sizing, imperfects, etc.

    Finally, here are some articles on selling vintage clothing:
    https://www.vintagetextile.com/articles.htm
    https://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-146690686.html
  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 1/24/2009 at 8:31 PM Accepted
    As Jay has advised, the vintage market is very large. I would recommend beginning with a tightly focused segment (niche), e.g. the Hawaiian or Polynesian vintage clothing market is hot right now. What clothing supply niche does she have access to?

    She could build site traffic by using blogs and social media programs with great content such as the history behind the clothing and designs.

    hope this helps

    Steve
  • Posted by Harry Hallman on 1/24/2009 at 9:06 PM Author
    Thanks Jay and Steve. Good info and suggestions. My daughter is also buying vintage (and new) for boutiques and has great sources that she will put in her online store as well.

    We are using social media sites, Facebook and Google ads to drive traffic. The adds that do the best deal with Vintage.
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 1/26/2009 at 7:13 AM Accepted
    Hi Harry

    Trendhunter says vintage clothing is becoming popular but the clothes are hard to find so, guess what - online vintage shops are becoming popular.

    The whole article is here.

    One person's trash is another person's vintage "treasure".

    There's a green/eco argument to buy vintage: The greenhouse gases emitted in manufacture are one time only. Buying vintage means you've kind of avoided a new garment being produced so that's emission not emitted. Every bit helps.

    Best of luck to your daughter in her new venture..

    ChrisB

  • Posted by Harry Hallman on 1/26/2009 at 8:22 AM Author
    Thanks everyone. This was valauble.
  • Posted by steven.alker on 2/2/2009 at 12:37 PM Member
    Better late than never! (Sometimes)

    There’s a further aspect to the vintage clothing market – film and TV period wear.

    My son’s Godfather used to be the FD to Phoenix and Camden which supplied period costumes for the film and TV industry. When they needed to supply the period which is now referred to as Vintage, they had a list of commercial vendors who sold in these areas. One 1960’s or 1970’s period drama would just about clean out every known supplier in the SE of England!

    Maybe worth come consideration?

    Steve Alker
    Xspirt.com




    I




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