Vintage shopping culture between North America and Asia

I was all for vintage shopping even just a few years ago in North America. 

From the obscure promotional movie t-shirts, to the possibility of snagging a pristine 20 year old grail, it’s a game of fortune and tenacity at the vintage racks.

Sadly, vintage shopping in North America just isn’t what it used to be – especially compared to Asia.

Last year when I traveled to Japan, my wallet fell victim to their vintage shops. Traversing between the storefronts and stalls of Koenji, Shimokita, and Shibuya, I once again experienced what makes vintage shopping so rewarding.

To me, vintage shopping in Asia reigns supreme for 3 distinct reasons: an abundance of uniqueness, conscious consumerism, and an overall higher quality of goods.

Cultural differences, perhaps above all, have played the biggest role in shaping these distinctions.

Through the cultural lens, we may see how and why domestic vintage shopping in North America has fallen from grace in recent years.

Abundance of vintage uniqueness

Asia is the world’s capital in vintage shopping.

By the end of 2025, Asia is expected to make up more than 40% of the global secondhand market, while countries like China and Singapore lead globally in terms of spend on pre-owned items.   

The pre-owned items in question vary from country to country, all adding up to this “abundance of uniqueness.”

Secondhand luxury goods platforms Trenbe and Gugus in South Korea for instance skyrocket to record volume, while low key shops like Glorious Dias in the Philippines – a boutique specializing in upcycling Filipiniana garments – are becoming more popular.

Asia’s diverse cultural identity inherently leads to a wide variety of vintage items making their way all across the continent. This in turn created an accessibility that has yet to be successfully replicated stateside. 

Vintage shopping in North America, on the the hand, is a monolithic experience.

Every shop stocks the same “vaguely streetwear aesthetic” items — that is, a gentrified inventory that is reliant upon ever-changing trends.

It caters to a higher-income clientele, and has shifted the attention from what is truly “vintage” to simply what can generate the most profit.

Even if you find something you like, it will break your bank.

Scarcity, not abundance, of vintage uniqueness defines the current state of vintage shopping in North America.

In response, many of us have opted to shop online, though finding the pieces that may hold cultural or regional significance can be harder to come across amongst the infinite online marketplace. 

Vintage shopping vs. fast fashion

Fast fashion has been all the talk these days, and I absolutely loathe it.

Adjusted per capita, the United States consumes the most fast fashion globally — a title that reflects the current state of vintage shopping. 

Vintage shopping at its core is about affordability; it’s supposed to be a way to refresh your wardrobe without breaking the bank. But because many businesses are artificially inflating prices, it has created a reliance upon a periphery market.

In Asia, conscious consumerism mitigated the effect of fast fashion. While trends are almost always acknowledged by the public, Asian fashion is about timelessness and utilitarianism. 

Simply put, certain clothing items never go out of style. So, it makes sense to invest into staple pieces over something you may only wear once or twice, right? 

Traditionally speaking vintage shops are where you would go to find the most affordable versions of said staple pieces, and the Japanese consumer may be the strongest example of this.

On average, they buy half the amount of clothing per year compared to the average American, yet spend 31% more on what they do buy.

And if you were wondering, yes— it is the reason Japan (per capita) consumes less than half of the fast fashion that America does.  

See also Sneaker Culture – East vs. West

Higher quality of vintage goods

When cruising the contemporary vintage shops in North America, the poor condition of many items is what disappoints me the most.

Vintage items will inevitably deteriorate in 10, 20, 30 years’ time, but the pieces that I came across in Japan were generally in immaculate condition by comparison. The cultural respect and care for vintage items is simply greater in Asia.

Where I think the dichotomy between Asian and American vintage shopping is most apparent is within older luxury goods.

I recall seeing Celine bags in Japan, whose leather has remained supple well into the new millennium; and Loewe wallets, free of scuffs, displayed with their original dust bags and all.

Meanwhile, I go to my local, trendy Los Angeles vintage store and I have to assume that the cardholder behind the counter used to say Dior. The previous owner somehow managed to rip the “i” off.

What puzzles me the most in North America is the disregard for vintage luxury items.

Being raised in an Asian household where buying anything from Gucci or Louis Vuitton would be considered a privileged splurge, I learned to appreciate the meticulousness, craftsmanship and quality of such items. Yet, at these stores, I see these same pieces in such abused condition.

When I visited Japan’s vintage fashion scene and saw how much care goes into the curation of older luxury items, I could feel the reflection of my culture in them.

However, perusing their Western counterparts, what’s more evident are some of the grim generalizations of American culture — particularly the propensity for carelessness within an affording class. 

Bringing back the vintage culture

I believe that our innate conscientiousness — in regards to our community’s collective antithesis to laxity — is why the vintage luxury market is more prolific across Asia. These goods have and always will be symbols of societal achievement – they are representative of the type of person you are. 

See also: https://coldteacollective.com/forgotten-fashionistas-rediscovering-my-grandmothers-identity-through-fashion/

The items that end up at vintage shops are therefore often pristine, and this leads to a pseudo “surplus” in vintage luxury goods.

Subsequently, this allows for a wide assortment of goods that are in quality condition, and of course fairer pricing on said goods — both beneficial to the consumer.

Vintage shops, no matter where in the world, will always be a great representation of the culture they’re in.

Sadly, North America’s vintage fashion scene currently reflects a culture of profit-driven trendiness, a far deviation from what it once was. Though this may be the case, I do not necessarily think that it equates to an inability to improve.

The Asian vintage scene is so vibrant because of their considerate approach to secondhand consumerism.

Beyond the clothes and bags still lies the essence of what makes the experience of vintage shopping so invaluable — the culturally significant stories behind each vintage good.

While North America won’t just snap back overnight, it can begin the conscious efforts towards a new culture. One that once again gives people a reason to brave the racks.