VIP Class Notes (Vicki)

review vocabulary and write one sentence for each word

Vocabulary

conscious – very aware of ….
fashion-conscious – you care a lot about fashion

fashionista – someone who is always following the fashion trend

trend – 趋势

latest – the newest

designer – famous brand

gear – 装备

designer gear – the most fashionable and expensive clothing

retro / vintage – 复古

alternative – 备选

material – 材质

cotton – 绵

jeans – 牛仔裤

polyestern – 化铅

sweater – 毛衣

hoodie – 连帽衫

casual – 休闲的
i.e. You are a casual dresser.

industry – 行业

rebrand – 重新包装

trendy – popular

stuff – 东西

faded – 褪色的

gingham-patterned – 格子图案

jumble sale – 大甩卖

boutique – 精品店

pop-up shop – 快闪店

dedicated – 专为…

chain – 连锁

under the brand – 在…名下
i.e. This clothing line is under the brand of Gucci.

circular – 循环的

buy into …. – 参与…./因为相信而去参与… / believe in
i.e. More and more people are buying into the idea of stock.

The more, the more – 越多….， 就越….
i.e. The more people that want to buy this clothes, the more expensive it becomes.

prolong – 延长

cut down – reduce

environmental – 环境的

damage – 毁坏

manufacture – 制造

the rise of – 上升/兴起

lead to – 引起

item – 物品

decade – 十年

platform – 平台

generation – 时代的人

be looking to – 正在寻找

generation Z – oo后

concern – 担心

pick – 挑选

according to – 根据

per – 每一个
i.e. This apple is $5 per kg.
i.e. This cheese is sold per kg.

upcycled – upgrade 升级

embroidery – 镶嵌

patch – 补丁

sustainability – 可持续性

Do you take care about what you wear? Some people are very fashion-conscious, carefully selecting the clothes they buy and how they dress. Fashionistas always want to be seen in the latest designer gear. But that trend is changing as retro or vintage clothing is becoming a popular and often cheaper alternative.

Of course, ‘vintage’ clothing is really second-hand clothing, worn before but given a new lease of life. The fashion industry has rebranded this stuff to make it look trendy and possibly give it a higher price tag. Whereas we may have seen an old faded pair of jeans or a gingham-patterned dress sold at a jumble sale, now there are boutique and pop-up shops dedicated to the stuff. And in the UK, one supermarket chain has started selling second-hand clothes in some of its stores under the brand, Preloved Vintage Wholesale. Its managing director Steve Lynam told the BBC:  “The more people that buy into the circular economy and shop vintage and retro, the bigger impact we will have on climate change.”

Certainly, buying vintage does prolong the life of clothing. It cuts down on waste and helps to reduce the environmental damage caused by manufacturing new clothes. It’s also led to the rise of retro-fashion – items that your mum or dad wore decades ago that now look ‘cool’ again! It’s a big thing with younger people and has been helped by the rise of platforms like Depop and Vinted, which sell ‘worn’ clothes online. Ianina Lucca from Depop told the BBC: “The new generation is… looking to make choices that reduce their impact on the environment, with 77% of Gen Z saying that their biggest environmental concern being that they want their choices to reduce waste.”

Another popular way of buying old clothes is in a vintage kilo sale. People pick what they want and then pay according to weight rather than per item. Some items are upcycled – re-modelled or re-worked by adding embroidery, patches and other additions. But however these second-hand clothes are worn or re-designed, the sustainability of vintage fashion means it’s here to stay for some time to come.