Wholesalers and retailers alike are always looking for creative terms with which they can market their designer sunglasses. In recent years, we have noticed that the term 'vintage' is pretty popular. We've even had customers ask if we sell bulk sunglasses in vintage styles. But what makes a pair of sunglasses truly vintage?

That really depends on who you ask. Bulk designer sunglasses come in lots of styles, shapes, and colors. They run the gamut in terms of categories, covering everything from polarized to fashionista to 90s style sunglasses. Who is to say whether any particular category is truly vintage?

The Basic Definition of Vintage

Before we can truly define vintage sunglasses, we need to understand a basic definition of 'vintage' as a cultural concept. The term is normally associated with art, antiques, interior design, and so forth. Unfortunately, there is no hard-and-fast definition. But there are general rules.

Generally speaking, for an object to be considered vintage, it must meet the following criteria:

1. It must be at least 20 years old.
2. It must be well made.
3. Its design must reflect the style of a particular era.
4. The item must be relatively rare.
5. The item must possess some measure of demand and is a collectible.

An older pair of sunglasses that meets all the criteria could be termed vintage. But that's not what wholesalers are talking about when they market vintage sunglasses to retailers. It is not what manufacturers are referring to either.

Representative of a Particular Era

When manufacturers and wholesalers market vintage sunglasses, they are really concentrating on just one aspect: the representation of a particular era. Note that the 20-year rule does come into play here.

You could say that our 90s style sunglasses are vintage in the sense that they are representative of an era that began 33 years ago. We have crossed the 20-your threshold and the sunglasses are designed to look a lot like what was popular back in the 90s.

Does product quality have any bearing on it? Yes and no. A vintage object that is literally 20+ years old wouldn't get the actual vintage label if it were in such poor condition that it wasn't worth owning. The quality needs to be there or it's not vintage. It is junk. By the same token, retail buyers expect quality when they buy sunglasses.

As with all the bulk designer sunglasses we sell, our 90s Style products offer the quality your customers expect. They are getting quality that is equal to or better than higher-priced brands but at a lower cost.

Vintage As a Marketing Term

If you are struggling to apply a hard-and-fast definition of 'vintage' to sunglasses, don't stress over it. 'Vintage' is used merely as a marketing term by manufacturers and wholesalers. If it's a term that appeals to your customer base, run with it. If not, market your sunglasses in whatever terms do work for you. It is nothing to get worked up about.

The thing about vintage is that it never seems to go out of style. That makes sense because with every passing year, another year of style gets added to the mix. You can always look back 20+ years and find something you like; something that fits your style.

If we stick to the strictest understanding of the term, no brand-new pair of sunglasses would qualify as vintage. But we don't. A truly vintage pair of sunglasses is simply a pair that offers both good-quality and a style reminiscent of an earlier era at least 20 years in the past. There is nothing more to it than that.