2020 was a rather unusual year with the health crisis, but even more so for the fashion world, and especially thrift stores. Interview withUnited Vintage, an online thrift store that you will love to follow after reading this article.
The History of United Vintage
United Vintageisa thrift store in Annecy born from a collaboration between three long-time friends. The goal is to search for unique and second-hand pieces in order to make them accessible to a wider audience. Nowadays, thrift stores still have labels, and a significant number of people still do not dare to venture there. The idea of the group of friends was to change and evolve mentalities.
It all started the day after a party, and this entrepreneurial idea quickly took shape with the desire to embark on a new, atypical, and challenging adventure. Together, they decided to create their own business in order to pursue freedom, independence, and creativity.
Julien: I moved to London a few years ago and I noticed that there was a real craze for vintage fashion in England, particularly for brands like Nike, Adidas, Ralph Lauren... I knew that vintage fashion was starting to develop in France and I said to myself that we could do something with it.
"My friends and I have always loved dressing as originally as possible by hunting for pieces in thrift stores, but it's true that in Annecy or even in the Lyon region, it's not very developed and the thrift stores already in existence don't have a very wide selection of quality pieces. Especially since the majority of thrift stores in France don't exclusively sell branded clothes and only have a fairly limited catalog of this type of piece."
Despite a weak professional network, but thanks to this great motivation, the team embarked on this brand new adventure. United Vintage is an online thrift store offering second-hand designer clothing. It demonstrates that motivation and perseverance always pay off, despite the doubts we may have at the beginning.
Making vintage clothing more visible in France. United Vintage is proud to present a varied catalog, listing several dozen major brands, such as Nike, Ralph Lauren, The North Face, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, Burberry, Fila, and many more...
It was essential for the United Vintage team to breathe new life into the e-shop and qualitatively improve their product offering, offering more choices to their ever-growing customer base. Vintage is a way to stand out in fashion. Today, the lack of originality within the fashion world is a terrible burden. Their product selections are made very meticulously, one by one.
Three ambitions guide their work:
1. Select original but unique products from major brands, guaranteeing you assured and certified quality, at always affordable prices.
2. To satisfy you, the website is updated daily, coupled with communication on Instagram so that loyal followers are the first to know when exceptional pieces are put online.
3. Beyond its eco-friendly aspect, buying second-hand clothes allows you to personalize your look. Buying vintage means enjoying wearing a piece that bears a trace of the past and has a unique story.
Not to mention, being a "thrifter" means having a definite taste for fashion history. Uncovering rare gems also means realizing the astounding number of different cuts, materials, and styles that exist.
Benoit: We think that vintage will become more and more fashionable in the coming years. Fashion is changing and we are sure that in a few years, major brands will really integrate vintage as the norm and the future.”
Instagram, the springboard for success and visibility for a vintage e-shop
The vintage e-shopnowhas over 22,000 followers onInstagram, a growing account at the heart of the vintage community. Beyond just a visual platform, Instagram is a real springboard and a key element to the success of an online thrift store these days.
Recently, we've noticed an impressive rise in Instagram accounts dedicated to vintage fashion. Many of them demonstrate that finding vintage clothing is within everyone's reach, but finding beautiful, unique pieces is a different task that not everyone can do.
Today, vintage is a must-have trend in the fashion world, but it's also an increasingly important eco-responsible commitment. Fashion is increasingly turning to vintage and second-hand items.
The clientele is primarily young, but all ages can find something to enjoy. The e-shop attracts people with sophisticated tastes, customers looking for specific items, and even the more curious who stumble upon the website by chance.
At the very beginning, the team only sold on a few sales platforms to earn extra income, but with the ever-increasing demand, it was no longer manageable. They then came up with the idea of creating a website to make new pieces easier to access.
Today, sales are no longer only in France but also in Spain, Italy, Germany... where vintage is much less developed than in France but the appeal is just as great.
United Vintage's future projects
Thanks to the perseverance mentioned in this article, United Vintage even held a few pop-up store events in different locations (when Covid wasn't yet present among us). The experience gained over time is now gradually allowing United Vintage to establish itself as one of the essential pioneers of vintage in France.
A wider selection of vintage clothing and brands will be available online soon, to further satisfy demand and continue to delight vintage fans.
Don't hesitate to follow them on Instagram:@united.vintage
Blog link: http://www.lapausemodemagazine.com/2021/04/mode-united-vintage-la-friperie-en.html