Passing: Recycling Fashion

With innovative ideas along the years, fashion design has been a vast area for designers to respond to the social and political situation of the time. As a reaction to the way gender is seen or as a reflection of the spirit of the time, apparel design has been more than esthetics. The changes brought by the World War I and II, and the 1929 depression contributed in many ways to the current apparel’s design. The scarcity brought by the World War I allowed innovations on materials, such as washable fabrics and synthetic fibers. These materials are cheaper than silk with a longer life time. With the advent of World War II, the use of these fabrics was mainly used to supply military goods. As a response, fashion designers came up with innovative designs in order to compensate the shortage of fabrics. The 1920’s lavishing dresses were slowly being substituted for bolder, simpler, and refined pieces of garments. The “ready-to-wear” clothes were mass produced and intended to last. Today’s designers have been looking up to the past trends to come up with their collection.

Synthetic fabrics were first used on clothing making. Because of their strong material’s property, in the World War II they ended being restricted to the manufacture of military goods, such as uniforms and parachutes.

Due to the material limitation imposed by the War, clothes’ esthetics relies less on the fabric and more on the design. The clothes still have to bring femininity and poise.

Previous fashion periods, such as the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s are often inspiration to young designers. While Hippie, Mod, and Punk in their respective time were referred more as a subculture, now they are seen as a fashion style.

In fact, thrift clothes have never been more appreciated than ever. The mass production of stronger fabrics allowed clothes from decades ago to still be around. Nowadays Vintage Stores charge accordingly to the time value, older the clothes more expensive is the piece. Among many reasons, vintage buyers are attracted to the nostalgia of the second-hand designs. Vintage garments bring a sense of exclusivity because the chances of finding the same piece are very low. In the sameness of fashion’s trends, vintage clothing can be a breath of fresh air. Another important factor is the quality. If the garment has lasted that long it means that the material is strong. In fact, there are stores reusing the fabric of past clothes to create new designs. Not only clothes can be recycled, but the material as well. With an increasing interest on environmental issues, vintage clothing becomes an alternative for waste. Contrary to past fashion periods, today‘s consumers seems to be looking backward for innovation.

Buffalo Exchange is a secondhand clothing store. According to Time Magazine, the store earned more than $3 million last year on $43 million in revenue.


With an attractive décor, in 1984 American Rag Cie started as a small Vintage Store in San Francisco. Today it is a trendy store with its own line of clothes, named “Remake”, made out of fabrics from vintage clothes.