Defining and Understanding Vintage
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22858605 |
|---|---|
| Authors | M P HOFF (0000-0001-7604-7815, Harvard Business School Assistant Professor of Business Administration, , Harvard University), Maren Hoff (Harvard Business School Assistant Professor of Business Administration, , Harvard University,, corresponding author), Silvia Bellezza (0009-0004-2120-0922, Columbia Business School, Columbia University Associate Professor of Business) |
| Editors | Stacy Wood (0000-0001-5256-1772), Margaret G Meloy, Nailya Ordabayeva (0000-0001-6764-2495) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Consumer Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0093-5301 • E-ISSN: 1537-5277 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/jcr/ucag015 |
| OpenAlex | W7164801669 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 46 |
Trendsetters and cutting-edge brands constantly seek new styles and fresh designs that set them apart from previous trends. However, in recent decades, these early adopters and innovators have also increasingly turned to selected pieces from the past, a market phenomenon often referred to as “vintage.” But what are vintage products exactly? This research develops a unified framework for understanding vintage consumption using a multimethod approach that combines interviews, surveys, online product scraping, structural equation modeling, experiments, and data on over 2,000 vintage products across 16 categories collected at vintage fairs, stores, and online retailers. Vintage is a composite formative construct determined by three dimensions: moderate age, iconicity, and scarcity. By mapping its nomological network, the authors clarify the dimensions vintage shares with related constructs (i.e., antique, secondhand, retro), examine its downstream consequences for consumers, and identify its managerial implications. Vintage products deliver personal (e.g., heritage connection and authenticity), social (e.g., coolness), and sustainability benefits (e.g., environmental responsibility) for consumers. Moreover, highlighting a product’s age, iconicity, and scarcity can enhance consumer responses to vintage more than to new products. This research provides a theoretical foundation for understanding vintage consumption and offers guidance for identifying and positioning vintage products in the marketplace.
Construct (python library) · Consumer behaviour · Consumption (sociology) · Product (mathematics) · Set (abstract data type) · Sustainability · Vintage · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Consumer Retail Behavior Studies · Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior
Old Clothes, New Looks
Recommendations for Creating Better Concept Definitions in the Organizational, Behavioral, and Social Sciences
Seeing the world through GREEN‐tinted glasses
How Many Participants Do I Need to Test an Interaction? Conducting an Appropriate Power Analysis and Achieving Sufficient Power to Detect an Interaction
Teaching Old Brands New Tricks
Sixties Dress Only! The Consumption of the Past in a Retro Scene
The Rise of Vintage Fashion and the Vintage Consumer
A Critical Review of Construct Indicators and Measurement Model Misspecification in Marketing and Consumer Research
It Is Not Old‐Fashioned, It Is Vintage, Vintage Fashion and The Complexities of 21st Century Consumption Practices
Bjorn Again? Rethinking 70s Revivalism through the Reappropriation of 70s Clothing
Performing Vintage
The psychological structure of pride
Who drives divergence? Identity signaling, outgroup dissimilarity, and the abandonment of cultural tastes
Nostalgia and Consumption Preferences
Seeing the World Second Hand
Vintage, the First 40 Years
The Impostor Syndrome from Luxury Consumption
Consumer Work and Agency in the Analog Revival
How Traditional Production Shapes Perceptions of Product Quality
Distance and Alternative Signals of Status
Consumer Minimalism
What Makes Things Cool? How Autonomy Influences Perceived Coolness
Subtle Signals of Inconspicuous Consumption
Where Consumers Diverge from Others
Consumers' Beliefs about Product Benefits
| Highly cited | No |
|---|