When you think of “vintage” clothing, you might immediately think of products from at least 100 years ago. In a video with 1.8 million views, a woman shares how she paid $48 for what she thought was an authentic vintage sweater at a thrift shop. But is it actually “vintage”?
“If you ever feel dumb, know that I bought this sweater,” TikTok user Gianna Christine (@giannachristiine) said, showing her 2.7 million followers a red long-sleeve turtleneck sweater she was wearing, “from a secondhand vintage store for $48.” After trying it on, she fell in love with it so much that she didn’t bother checking the tag. “I tried it on and was like, ‘Oh, it looks cute. I bought it, and I didn’t look at the tag,” she says. “It was vintage.” However, the content creator learned the hard way that she should’ve checked. “I come home, put it on, and notice the tag says, ‘Forever 21.’”
Gianna was in utter disbelief. “So, I paid $48 for a used Forever 21 sweater,” she says. “You’ll never be as stupid as me in that moment.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Gianna via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment.
The price appalls viewers
“Who pays 48 for a thrifted item,” one viewer asked.
“48 for vintage is too much, especially for a basic red turtleneck,” another commented.
“48$ dollars for THAT????” a third remarked.
On the other hand, some claim Forever 21 is vintage.
“I think people dont realize that vintage means 20 years ago, soooo 2004 is vintage,” one viewer explained.
“As a 28 year old I guess I’m officially old enough to say that I’ve lived long enough to hear people talking about ‘vintage’ forever 21,” a second added.
@giannachristiine $48 for used f21 is criminal
♬ original sound – Gianna Christine
Is Forever 21 vintage?
Vintage is anything between 20 and 99 years old. Oxford Dictionary defines it as “denoting something of high quality, especially something from the past or characteristic of the best period of a person’s work.” Since the clothing company was founded in 1984, any clothing manufactured before 2004 is vintage. However, the clothing company is vintage in age but not in quality. According to The New York Times, Forever 21 popularized fast fashion.
Some people have attempted to pass Forever 21 as high-quality. In May, a Gen Z Depop seller marked Forever 21 sequin leopard print shorts as “vintage” for $298. Furthermore, It Ends with US star Blake Lively said she lied about wearing Forever 21 clothing early in her career.
“I wore Forever 21 much longer than I admitted. I just started saying it was vintage because I was so shamed for it,” she told Euphoria actor Sydney Sweeney in 2019 during an interview for InStyle. “For me, fashion is a form of self-expression. It also really takes me out of my comfort zone. One of the reasons I’m an actor is that I’m naturally very shy, so it’s liberating to dress up and pretend to be someone else.”
The Daily Dot contacted Forever 21 via press email.
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