The question was once posed to me; When does something stop being second hand and start being Vintage?

Not so long ago, it was simply a question of perception, and prone to the cynical mantra; “If you are selling it; its vintage. If you are buying it; its second hand”. Today, that response would be woefully inaccurate. The vintage market has extended away from selective lifestyle boutiques in the east end and permeated every aspect of our lives.

No season at Topshop would be complete without the cross merchandising juxtaposition of hyper-futuristic and bygone chintz and glamour, and Marc Jacobs have announced they will soon be selling genuine vintage military clothing alongside their core collection in one London Boutique. Furniture manufacturers like Habitat and Ercol have begun to look back through their own catalogues of far-gone decades for inspiration; Paul Smith has for years merchandised vintage art, literature and furniture alongside his collections to add texture and depth to the scope of his brand and his fashion design and the vintage fragrance market has exploded, with brands like the wartime Worth and (yes, you guessed it) Yardley having a sudden and unpredictable uplift in interest.

The online art gallery Keep Calm Gallery developed it’s whole business around an initial run of the now famous ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ print, a wartime relic reproduced from a chance find, and now market prints and originals from a host of vintage inspired artists. They recently issued a collection of French language posters originally designed to invoke dissent amongst students during the May riots of 1968.

The Music Industry has traditionally pushed the Vintage vibe further than any other, its heroes and villains harking back to ’77 punk or ’81 Joy Division. Anyone who actually lived through the 80s was horrified to discover that neon pink, acid yellow and electric blue (at the same time) were off the banned list and had been made acceptable, nay vital in fashion collections from 2007 onward (and still going strong) all thanks to a few renaissance ravers who didn’t start school till the nineties.

Perhaps the logical conclusion to vintagemania comes from the music industry also. Guitar manufacturers Gibson and Fender have seen prices for models from the 1950’s and 1960’s go through the roof, driven by baby boomers wanting to buy back a piece of their youth. Fender even produce not one but two ranges of guitars – the ‘relic’ and ‘road worn’ series – artificially aged to look as though they have sustained 30 years of life on the road. These models can cost twice as much as a brand spanking new guitar, which is otherwise identical, just new-looking; something we used to consider a virtue.

Creating a buzz in Brighton at the moment is the latest opening from Beyond Retro – the vintage clothing emporium that first opened its doors on Brick Lane in 2000. Inside is 2000 square foot, floor to ceiling utopia of male and female fashion, furniture, gifts and accessories that could keep you busy for hours – or even longer if you just can’t decide between that 1980s Duran Duran t-shirt, the 50’s rockabilly jacket or the oh-so-now vintage army boots. Of course, the question is; Where does all this stuff come from? It’s anyone’s guess, but you can bet there is a warehouse of currently unloved cast-off’s from the early nineties just waiting to swing back into fashion.

It’s also something we see more of coming through our doors here at Barber Design, as peoples tastes are influenced by and aligned with the constantly evolving retail landscape. A recent project we completed for the James Brown London Salon was around 60% vintage furniture and the perennially popular All Saints and Paul Smith concepts are a much cited reference point for everything from Bars to Restaurants, fashion boutiques to hair salons.

The reasons are simple. It speaks to our sense of heritage, our need for perspective and texture in our lives, and perhaps more than anything, our desire to communicate our own ‘brand’ – our tastes and preferences. And of course, having something unique, or close to unique that has withstood the test of time.

My grandfather used to say that you could keep something for seven years and the week you throw it away you’ll need it. Not so any more – keep it for 30 years, you may find a buyer…

Justin Langshaw, Head of 3D at Barber Design