In 2024, it is rare to encounter a pedestrian on the street still using a flip phone with a keypad. Even the older generation has mostly switched to touchscreen smartphones. However, some trendsetters on the cutting edge of fashion have unexpectedly picked up early tech products that were ruthlessly abandoned by the digital age. Whether it is non-smartphones or iPods that can only be used for listening to music, these outdated electronic products have become a fashion statement for the new generation of young people.
JAYBOYMODZ
A video of an audience member using a Nintendo DS to capture a live performance unexpectedly went viral. Elsewhere on the internet, people are using the first-generation iPhone to take photos in order to replicate the unique Lofi aesthetic of that era. With the increasing number of vintage tech enthusiasts and the growing nostalgia for hardware from bygone eras, people are no longer leaving early tech products to gather dust in the corners. Instead, they are finding innovative ways to repurpose these old devices. A creator named dangycam is dedicated to finding handheld DV cameras and equipping them with external monitors, thereby eliminating the cumbersome process of converting materials. JAYBOYMODZ, on the other hand, chooses to modify Gameboys with modern hardware. He shared, “What I miss most is the casualness of old tech products.”
Back to the main topic of this discussion—the fashion world—it is not hard to notice that in the past year or so, more and more brands have started to launch vintage electronic products, related campaigns, or draw inspiration from them to enrich their product lines. This industry, which is good at using various products to take snapshots of contemporary society and capture trends, has seen numerous examples that form a gradually emerging phenomenon, seemingly indicating that vintage electronics are becoming the new darlings of the fashion world.
Brands Flocking to the Vintage Electronics Arena
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Kith/NEIGHBORHOOD/Coperni
The most crowded segment in the vintage electronics arena is audio equipment, which includes speakers, players, and turntables. Last month, Kith collaborated with Bose to bring back the 901 speakers, which were first introduced in 1968. They specially invited Mark Jupiter, a craftsman and designer, to participate in the design. While retaining the classic silhouette, they further embodied the mid-century aesthetic through the use of wood for the base and frame, as well as brushed brass decorations. Earlier this year, NEIGHBORHOOD, inspired by Japan’s Showa era, reimagined the Columbia GP-3 portable turntable, which was first launched in the 1980s. Additionally, although it was never officially released, Coperni’s integration of the Walkman CD player into its classic bag design, the “CD-PLAYER Swipe Bag,” last year also garnered a lot of attention.
TOMBOGO
In the camera category, in addition to the resurgence of CCD in recent years, it is not difficult to find the presence of brands. TOMBOGO’s recently launched PocketCam is an extremely streamlined micro all-in-one camera. It features a semi-transparent vintage design, capable of taking photos and videos, with 25 customizable filters (including some TOMBOGO brand filters), as well as a mini sound system and six mini-games. “PocketCam is a love letter to digital nostalgia. What we wanted to create is not just a camera but an experience that can express the joy of exploration and the creative possibilities of blending the past and the present,” Tommy Bogo shared. Earlier last year, MARKET collaborated with Retrospekt to create a fully second-hand Polaroid 600 vintage film camera, inspired by the styles of the 1980s and 1990s, creating a nostalgic atmosphere.
Retrospekt
It is worth mentioning that Retrospekt, known for refurbishing and repairing outdated electronic products, also collaborated with Carrots. The American company recently mentioned in an interview that its digital camcorder sales increased by 700% in 2024 compared to last year, iPods by 637%, and portable CD players by 130%. The sales of digital cameras from the 2000s also grew by 150% year-on-year.
Heineken/Bodega
In addition, during this year’s Milan Design Week, Heineken, in collaboration with Bodega, unveiled “The Boring Phone.” This flip phone, made by HMD, features a transparent shell and a retrofuturistic design. It cannot use any apps or connect to the internet. At the end of last year, JJJJound launched a vintage computer keyboard priced at $650, replicating the design of keyboards from the 1970s. Let’s not forget that Supreme, Bape, and fragment design have all successively collaborated on the Tamagotchi digital pet.
Trend forecasters in the fashion industry generally believe that when an idea appears at least three times, it enters their trend prediction, whether it is a mainstream trend or a micro-trend. Clearly, the examples of the aforementioned brands entering the vintage tech product arena in the past two years far exceed three. So, where did this trend originate? In fact, the answer can be glimpsed from the trend that emerged several years ago.
Vintage Electronics Revived as Accessories
SPLASHNEWS/GOTHAM
Around 2020, due to factors such as the resurgence of Y2K style, the prevalence of short videos and other social media, and a reaction against consumerism, wired earphones, which were behind the times, entered the mainstream vision as fashion accessories. Vintage models such as Koss “Porta Pros” and Panasonic “RP-HT21” began to appear in street photos of “It girls” like Bella Hadid, Lily-Rose Depp, and Zoe Kravitz. Meanwhile, Apple’s old white wired earphones were also an indispensable styling tool.
Starting with the unexpected return of wired earphones, outdated electronic products began to integrate into the fashion world with a new identity. This is undoubtedly a “democratized” trend that is accessible without spending a lot of money, combining two things that Gen Z loves most—sustainability and nostalgia—providing a solution for the electronic waste that accumulates in our homes, second-hand stores, and landfills.
patheticfashion
At the end of 2021, several fashion creators on TikTok, including Kira Lyn Vaden, began using the iPod Shuffle as a hair clip. Another fashion designer, Myra Magdelen, upcycled various vintage tech products to decorate her clothing, including keyboards, remote controls, and CDs. The creative unit adore addict from Bangkok chose to recycle Apple EarPods into chokers. The fashion meme account patheticfashion began selling the vintage Motorola Razr flip phone, “The Dumb Phone,” inlaid with jewelry.
Admittedly, during this period, the fashion world’s “appropriation” of vintage electronics focused more on decorative and matching functions, with consumers treating them as an extension of clothing and aesthetics. However, all the examples mentioned in the previous section without exception indicate that the trend has now evolved into a retro hardware trend that combines both practical functions and aesthetic attributes.
Sony
The resurgence of vintage electronics, whether in the form of new launches or recycling, is fundamentally due to people’s nostalgia for the past. The fast-paced modern life has led many people to long for a simpler and purer feeling, and past electronic products carry specific cultural symbols and emotional memories of that time. For example, Sony’s Walkman represented a revolution in personal music experience, while Nintendo Game Boy was the anchor of entertainment for countless people’s childhoods.
Their unique design aesthetics are also an important factor that cannot be ignored. At the end of the 20th century, the design styles of electronic products were diverse. Different brands showcased their personalities through innovations in color, shape, and materials. These products have high recognizability in both visual and tactile aspects, which is in sharp contrast to the minimalist and homogeneous style pursued by many modern devices today. Fashion, which values uniqueness and storytelling in design, happens to possess these qualities in vintage electronics.
JJJJound
Of course, we cannot attribute it entirely to simple nostalgia or unique design. This trend is more about the reconstruction of cultural symbols and a projection of the spirit of the times. Brands and designers dig into the stories behind these symbols and add more cultural value to them, allowing consumers to not only purchase the product itself but also a lifestyle or attitude associated with it.
Fashion always draws inspiration from the past. In the context of “Brain Rot” (a term referring to the deterioration or regression of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially due to excessive browsing of boring or low-quality content, particularly online content) being named the Oxford Word of the Year in 2024, it makes sense that people are trying to embrace electronic devices that take us away from social media and back to a simpler time.
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