There is Nothing Like the Summer To Spark Up Nostalgia!

As my tribute to the infamous hit Summertime by Will Smith infers, the summer of 2010 can be defined by none other than a little nostalgia. Feeling like you are in Grease or a Happy Days re-run recently? In case any fashionistas did not take notice yet, vintage designs from the 1940s and 50s are making a huge comeback. What is the theory behind this? According to Nigel Hollis, the chief global analyst for the market research firm Millard Brown, “We’ve been through a very unsettling time, and it’s when people are discontent with the present that they really start appreciating or having a nostalgia for the past, marketers are seeking to tap into that.” Current market research Gallup polls indicate that retail sales have declined 1.2 percent since the fall.

To combat and help improve these figures, retailers such as Eddie Bauer, Jantzen, L.L. Bean and others are going back to the drawing boards of the 1940s and 50s. From a PR perspective, this can be considered a type of "branding." By bringing back styles from a better economic time period, consumers will intuitively think things are turning around in the economy, and this encourages them to buy more. To see some of the styles or to learn more about the vintage comeback, read the entire New York Times article here.

This guest blog was written by staff member Michele Reilley.