When old things suddenly become stylish again

Many pieces of jewelry can be found at the “Heritage and Vintage Festival” in the Massif Central

Frankfurt – In times of fast fashion – fashion that is produced cheaply and quickly to the detriment of quality and sustainability – a counter-trend has been emerging in recent years that is turning clothing items from past decades into popular “it pieces”. These are special second-hand pieces that are no longer available to buy in large numbers today. This art of clothing and accessories is called “vin-tage fashion”. Jana Bucher from Frankfurt is someone who specializes in tracking down exactly such clothing and giving the designs another life. Under “The Görls Club Vintage” she presents new pieces, primarily on social media, and also attends pop-up events. For the first time she is taking part in “The Heritage & Vintage Festival” on the occasion of the third edition of the four-day “Frankfurt Secret” fashion festival. It is organized by Massif Central and the Vogel Strauss Concept Store, which has had its event space in the Bethmannhof in the city center since 2023. With the festival, the creators around Florian Jöckel are returning to the beginnings of the Massif Central in the rooms of a former printing shop at Eschersheimer Landstrasse 28, where around 40 exhibitors are presenting themselves on three floors for the occasion. The Massif Central started there a few years ago and established an event and exhibition location with a café and bar. Because of the owner’s demolition plans, the creators moved to Bethmannhof last year. However, the demolition has now been delayed and this has given the Massif Central the opportunity to continue using the rooms with industrial charm for the time being, turning them into “Frankfurt’s most beautiful department store for vintage fashion”, as the organizers have dubbed it, on the occasion of the festival , to design.

The theme of vintage fashion is a focus this time at “Frankfurt Secret”. Just like the heritage style, which refers to designs from past decades, such as Scandinavian designer furniture from the 1960s or industrial design such as shelves, chairs and lamps that were previously used in workplaces and are now considered chic for furnishing homes. “With the Frankfurt Secret we want to establish a meeting point for fashion in the city,” says Christina Oswald from Massif Central. With the opportunity to use the rooms at Eschersheimer Landstrasse 28 next to the Bethmannhof again, they have gone larger with the current edition and plan to organize the fashion festival once or twice a year in the future. “As long as we are allowed to use the rooms here at Eschersheimer, we will do so,” she emphasizes, and is pleased that there is so much interest in the festival.

This is also confirmed by Jana Bucher, who says that many visitors walked through the rooms on the first day. The female audience in particular stops by her stand on the ground floor and is interested in the numerous items of clothing that books are presented on stands. She brought a large mirror with her, which is also used by visitors who have found what they are looking for at other exhibitors and would like to take a look in her mirror. “With pleasure,” she says when a lady with a brown leather flight jacket asks. “Suits you,” says her husband. “I’ve been looking for a brown leather jacket for a long time and am thinking about having it individually painted.” Adelja Keller, who has her stand not far from Jana Bucher, offers this artistic service and creates flight jackets based on the painting of airplanes, the so-called “nose Art” decorated with pin-up girls, but also with comic characters or individual wishes.

Philip Fust from Giessen has set up his stand on the first floor and is primarily presenting “industrial furniture” such as shelves, chairs and cabinets made of wood from an old printing shop, as well as individual decorative elements such as ceramic vases. All of them objects from past decades with a history that he finds, among other things, when factories are being closed down, as he explains. Together with other colleagues who also present furniture and home design from the 1920s to the 1970s, Fust and his offering will, as he explains, remain in the building beyond “The Heritage & Vintage Festival” until probably the end of the year .