Old is new again: The increasing popularity of vintage clothing in Edmonton

By Maria Mena on April 23, 2024

In this day and age, vintage clothing continues to persist and has been steadily gaining immense popularity around Edmonton, proving its value against fast fashion.

Over the last few years, there’s been a rise in demand for vintage clothing not just in the city but also worldwide. With the growing demand for these clothes, secondhand stores and vintage boutiques are livelier than ever. Several stores in Edmonton sell this kind of clothing, including Swish, Lawless Vintage and Rylea Coyote Vintage.

So, what’s behind the vintage clothing trend, and what should be considered when buying vintage clothing?

A seasoned vintage clothing store

Swish has been around Edmonton for about 20 years, offering an array of couture and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces from the early 1900s to the 1980s, ranging from dresses, jewelry pieces, shoes and handbags to decorative home items. It’s located in one of Edmonton’s most vibrant shopping districts.

“Swish has a lot of history. So we’ve always had like a clientele and we see our clientele changing as the years go on. And especially now that we’re on 124th Street, you know, we’ve been busier. And we’ve found new customers and new clients,” said Natasha Dawson, shopkeeper of Swish.

Natasha Dawson looking through racks of vintage clothing in the store.

Dawson thinks social media caused this fashion trend due to the many get-ready-with-me, go-shopping and thrift haul videos. Celebrities are also part of the reason.

“Like a lot of celebrities are wearing vintage clothing on all the red carpets. You’ll see them wearing vintage gowns, which is fantastic. Or they’ll wear like vintage mixed in with some contemporary pieces.”

She is also thrilled that younger generations are pushing the agenda of buying secondhand and backing the sustainable movement that comes with it. She hopes that as the trend continues, people will buy fewer fast fashion and mall brands.

Swish loves seeing businesses and other vintage and secondhand sellers popping up and is pleased that the trend is continuing in the community.

Swish. A 1950s handsewn beaded dress made by Royalton Ltd.
A 1970s Egyptian revival necklace. A maximalist jewelry.
A 1950s – 1980s rhinestone jewelry sets.
A 1970s modernist necklace made by Rafael.

Two friends in the vintage clothing business

Caitlin Varrin of Lawless Vintage and Rylea Wissink of Rylea Coyote Vintage are two friends who joined hands in 2019 to pursue a similar interest: vintage clothing. Both businesses offer appointment shopping and styling and sell vintage and preloved clothing.

Left to the right. Caitlin Varrin and Rylea Wissink are sitting. Photo: Caitlin Varrin / Supplied

“We like to personalize the shopping experience. So we pull things that are in your size, in the palette that you’re looking for, seasonal things that you’re looking for, so that it’s a good use of everybody’s time,” said Caitlin Varrin, owner of Lawless Vintage.

Varrin mentions that a regular clothing shop has an infinite-size run of things. For vintage clothing sellers like her and Wissink, they would only have one piece.

“Nothing beats shopping vintage in person because of sizing.”

Both friends share many things in common, one of which is that sustainability is one of the factors that led them to get into vintage clothing.

“Don’t buy things you’re only going to use once. If it can fit into multiple seasons of your wardrobe, that’s going to be so much better,” said Rylea Wissink, owner of Rylea Coyote Vintage.