Buy Old,Not New:Research On Vintage Consumption Among The Youth

In recent consumer society with great material abundance,mass production and consumption have become the mainstream lifestyle.The further development of economic globalization has promoted the formation of global consumer culture,and the global expansion of consumerism and the development of modern fashion system has made people fall into the frenzy of "liking the new and hating the old",and the rapid update of goods has also led to many social problems.With the advent of the individualized society,consumers’ subjectivity has increased,and they are keen to reflect their individuality through consumption,and are unwilling to follow traditional values.The consumption of vintage clothing that this thesis focuses on is under this social background.As a burgeoning youth fashion,this consumer culture with antifashion and anti-mainstream characteristics since its birth has taken root in China with the flow of globalized goods,and is popular among young people who pursue fashion because of its uniqueness.Based on this background,this study raises some research questions: Why young consumers who have grown up in the era of new products are fond of old clothing from abroad,such as vintage clothing? Why is this kind of old clothing turned to be popular in clothing consumption? How is this different from the previous clothing consumption? What kind of consumption logic does it present? This paper pays attention to the shaping and presentation of taste in its daily consumption practice,and explores the changes in consumer culture and values of young people.In this thesis,it is found that as a carrier for young people to pursue individuality and uniqueness,the popularity of vintage is jointly shaped by individual psychology,business and media in the consumer society.Vintage offers youth an option to resist standardized production under consumerism,from which youth gain a stable style to resist the fast fashion.Firstly,Merchants use stylized scenes and stories to create an immersive consumer experience for young people,attracting them to participate in this niche and interesting pursuit.Furthermore,social media promote the efficiency of fashion communication.Dressing with vintage clothing,young people present an independent aesthetic taste and niche cultural taste.Moreover,with the participation of cultural capital,the youth turn general clothing consumption into cultural practice with aesthetic connotations,and use this consumption to achieve self-differentiation and circle separation.In recent society where efficiency is paramount,vintage consumption embodies the consumption shift of abundant consumption time,and is a re-cognition of the value of time contained in goods.In a word,this consumption objectively promotes young people to reflect on efficient consumption and benefit the recycling of goods.However,its popularity and consumption are not decoupled from the logic of consumerism.