Do you take care about what you wear? Some people are very fashion-conscious有時(shí)尚意識(shí)的, carefully selecting the clothes they buy and how they dress. Fashionistas 時(shí)尚達(dá)人 always want to be seen in the latest designer gear 衣服. But that trend is changing as retro 復(fù)古 or vintage 復(fù)古二手的 clothing is becoming a popular and often cheaper alternative.

Of course, ‘vintage’ clothing is really second-hand 二手的 clothing, worn before but given a new lease of life 舊衣服的“新生命”. The fashion industry has rebranded 重塑形象 this stuff to make it look trendy 新潮的 and possibly give it a higher price tag 標(biāo)價(jià). Whereas we may have seen an old faded 褪色 pair of jeans or a gingham-patterned 方格布圖案的 dress sold at a jumble sale, now there are boutique 時(shí)裝精品店 and pop-up shops 快閃店dedicated to the stuff. And in the UK, one supermarket chain has started selling second-hand clothes in some of its stores under the brand, Preloved Vintage Wholesale. Its managing director Steve Lynam told the BBC:? “The more people that buy into the circular economy 循環(huán)經(jīng)濟(jì) and shop vintage and retro, the bigger impact we will have on climate change.”

Certainly, buying vintage does prolong 延長(zhǎng) the life of clothing. It cuts down on waste and helps to reduce the environmental damage caused by manufacturing 制造 new clothes. It’s also led to the rise of retro-fashion – items that your mum or dad wore decades ago that now look ‘cool’ again! It’s a big thing with younger people and has been helped by the rise of platforms like Depop and Vinted, which sell ‘worn 破爛的；磨損的；穿’ clothes online. Ianina Lucca from Depop told the BBC: “The new generation is… looking to make choices that reduce their impact on the environment, with 77% of Gen Z saying that their biggest environmental concern being that they want their choices to reduce waste.”

Another popular way of buying old clothes is in a vintage kilo sale. People pick what they want and then pay according to weight rather than per item. Some items are upcycled 升級(jí)制造 – re-modelled or re-worked by adding embroidery 刺繡圖案, patches and other additions. But however these second-hand clothes are worn or re-designed, the sustainability 可持續(xù)性 of vintage fashion means it’s here to stay for some time to come.

Vocabulary

fashion-conscious 講究時(shí)髦的，有時(shí)尚意識(shí)的

fashionista 時(shí)尚達(dá)人

designer 出自著名設(shè)計(jì)師的

gear 衣服

retro 復(fù)古的

vintage 古著的，復(fù)古二手的

second-hand 二手的

a new lease of life 舊衣服的 “新生命”

rebrand 重塑形象，重新包裝

trendy 新潮的，時(shí)尚的

price tag 標(biāo)價(jià)

faded 褪色的

gingham-patterned 方格布圖案的

boutique 時(shí)裝精品店

pop-up shop 快閃店

circular economy 循環(huán)經(jīng)濟(jì)

manufacture 制造，生產(chǎn)

upcycle 升級(jí)改造

embroidery 刺繡圖案

sustainability 可持續(xù)性