It’s Vintage Darling! An exploration of vintage fashion retailing

Purpose: This is an exploratory study which defines vintage fashion, considers the vintage fashion consumer and evaluates the positioning of the vintage retail store from the perspective of the store proprietor/manager. Design/methodological approach: The research involved 15 in-depth interviews with vintage fashion retailers. Findings: It is proposed that vintage fashion retailers position and differentiate themselves by their uniqueness; a competitive advantage gained through the knowledge and skills of the owner/manager. Research limitations/implications: This is an exploratory study and as such it is limited to the experiences of 15 vintage fashion retailers. It is, however, part of a larger empirical study. Practical implications: The results of this study provide the basis for future research development in terms of the vintage consumer and consumer behaviour. Originality/value: The development of the vintage concept reveals a paucity of theoretical and empirical research studies. This exploratory research seeks to address this scarcity.