The Retro Theory

Last year saw the advent of a new trend that wasn't quite new...quite the contrary - retro was back in! 2014 was the year of the hipster and I'm sure platforms like Tumblr will keep it alive well into this year and the next. I personally love all things retro and as self-professed hipster (in the glasses and photography kind of way, not the "ugh gross that's sooo mainstream" kind of way) I thought we could step back and think for a second - why IS retro back in?

Maybe it's because vintage things are really pretty. Maybe people like it because it makes them seem more intellectual and culturally aware. Maybe someone fairly influential started it and people just jumped on the bandwagon. Heck, maybe a really hip unicorn bestowed it upon our world! (Stranger things have happened!) But if I had to throw in my two cents this would be it: 

 Everything retro - from transistor radios to Polaroid cameras to vintage typewriters - makes something real. In an age of digital pictures, virtual messages, and a world ruled cyberspace, I think "retro" is our way of holding on to our past. No matter how thin a screen gets, or how long a battery lasts, there will always be something special about holding a photograph. Something magical about listening to a radio-static and all. 

By holding on to these small bits of the past, we hold on to the times they came from and the things those times taught us. Sometimes we truly must go back to go forward and maybe, just maybe, this phase in our history is a subconscious effort made by society as a whole to move forward. I'm all for innovation and progress but in a hyper-competitive atmosphere like the one we live in, I think we find it comforting to be reminded that the important things haven't changed - it's still best to kind and honest. It's still best to work hard and enjoy life. It's still best to strive to be our best! 

 We fill our world with the glory of the past and that is what inspires us to make a better future. I think that's   what Retro is all about.

Or maybe it is the unicorn thing. But I'd like to believe that this was at least a small part of it.

So if you're a hipster or really into vintage things, don't hide it - share it with the world. Stand up a little straighter knowing you carry the torch for times gone by and save its treasures for the generations to come. We could all do with a dose of the past!

Until next time,

Bianka.