There are several fashion expressions, many of them catapulted by social networks, which contextualize looks, moments and aesthetics, and one of them is “HI-LO”. An expression that basically configures a combination of clothes with expensive and cheap pieces, simple and elaborate, festive and elementary. It is balancing elements and making a fashion statement with different styles and/or values.
Now it is possible to add a term to this famous, old expression! HI-LO & OLD MAN! We explain. Recently, American Vogue published an article that talks about exactly this: in a not-too-distant world, people will have, in every appearance, at least one part of “pre-loved”, that is, loved by someone else before. And that future is already here for fashionistas and early adopters and an almost mathematical mix of: luxury, contemporary, fast fashion and resale, not necessarily in the same order.
And that equation isn’t just about frequent thrift shopping and scoring trendy finds, it’s about turning that EXPERIENCE into a HABIT. It is assuming the social need to buy used clothes at the expense of new ones. It is adopting this sustainable gesture not because it is cute and “genius”, but by incorporating it into everyday life, therefore, in appearance!
There, especially in big cities like New York, London or Paris, there is probably a thrift store on every corner. Sure, you can find the luxury ones, where you can find a rare Birkin, but also thrift stores by the kilo with beautiful vintage T-shirts that probably only cost single digits.
In Brazil, the experience is still a bit exclusive (in the sense of exclusion) and we have yet to find an abundance of high-end shops and the like in life’s neighborhoods. Here the path was reversed and the habit is being strengthened through e-commerce such as Enjoei, Troc, Repassa and several others that stand out in the resale movement.
If for a long time the act of shopping in thrift stores was only in search of luxury, the modus operandi of those interviewed by Vogue is to increasingly include the act of buying used clothes (“but very loved!”, as the motto goes. !) into something ordinary and natural. The article also points out that any self-respecting fashionista has at least one pre-owned piece in every look she puts together. Do you find this mode and this average here?
