Fashion’s reset over the course of the pandemic prompted a rise in vintage shopping, but unlike archival bags or pre-loved shoes, sunglasses rarely make the #humblebrag posts. As investment buys increasingly become a priority for consumers who have spent the last year overhauling their wardrobes and considering the true value of their clothing, expect this to change. Consider sunnies your next stealth luxury purchase – just in time for summer.
“We are moving towards a moment in fashion which is less focused on trends, and people are trying to create looks for themselves that will last for a decade or longer,” asserts Jesper Richardy, founder of Copenhagen emporium Time’s Up Vintage, whose customers include Naomi Campbell, Lady Gaga and Jane Birkin. “This allows for investing in that one iconic pair of vintage sunglasses, which will perfect a look.”
Fashion consignment platform Vestiaire Collective reports a 20 per cent year-on-year increase in searches for vintage sunglasses, with Gucci, Celine, Dior and Saint Laurent repeatedly performing well. On Gen-Z peer-to-peer social shopping app Depop, the current trend for all things ’90s has hit the eyewear market, with Versace’s opulent shades proving particularly popular. Richardy reports a similar story from Scandinavia: “We’re observing an increased interest in the brands which were major commercial successes in the late ’90s and early 2000s, like Fendi, Dior and Prada. This has to do with the cyclical nature of fashion; the younger crowd are now looking to invest in the sunglasses they were exposed to as kids, now being just the right amount of ironic to wear them.”
This plays into the theory of Rewind Vintage Affairs founder and CEO Claudia Ricco, who says Chanel and Cartier shades are selling best for her boutique. Rather than homing in on specific brands, fashion fans are looking for bold frames that are, for want of a better word, Instagrammable. “Maximalist eyewear definitely fetches more in value than something very safe,” opines Ricco. “An eyewear line that pleases everybody is unlikely to catch anyone’s attention. A good investment must be thought-provoking, and glasses should always be fun.”
