They say... in fashion, one day you're in, the next day you're out.
But then some trends earn a second lease in life.
Certain things just age better than others... and you get a renewed sense of appreciation
for these icons of bygone eras.
Cha Sang-mi explains why Retro is all the rage this fall season.
Teenagers dressed in double-denim and 80's school uniforms take to the runway and strike
poses.
The Youth Culture Planning Group hosted a retro-concept festival in Seoul's Dobong-gu
District under the slogan 'Provoke 2017'.
(KOREAN) " It's exciting to experience a generation
that we haven't lived in.
Also, I think trends come around in cycles."
Young people say they don't find the style outdated or awkward to go out in.
Rather, it is fashionable and smart.
(Stand-up) "A fresh new look for teens and twenty-somethings,
and some great memories for those a bit older…
From clothing to music, retro styles are making a comeback."
This nostalgic trend is not just rampant among youths, but also among celebrities.
Many of the 2017 Seoul Fashon Week attendees showed up wearing a modern retro style.
So why does the younger generation enjoy this kind of fashion?
(KOREAN) "Sports/casual clothing definitely takes up
the largest part of the recent retro comeback.
The formal wear of the past has changed to a more casual style over the years as lifestyle
and workplace culture have changed.
Some of the hottest items this year are sweatshirts or T-shirts with big logos."
Jumping on the bandwagon, malls have a lot of sweatshirts with big logos on display and
young people can be spotted sporting such items.
Brands such as Fila, Reebok, and Korea's Prospecs, which were once deemed out-of-date, have regained
their popularity.
(KOREAN) "My mom got me this sweatshirt.
At first she recommended the brand since she used to wear them all the time when she was
young, but as I wore it, the brand grew on me over time.
It's really comfortable and cute "
Music is another area that is experiencing a retro boom.
With some recent movies set in the 70s and 80s,...
LPs, cassette tapes, and polaroids have shown a revival.
And it's not just middle-aged consumers buying LPs as nostalgia.
In fact, the major consumers - over 50 percent - are in their 20s and 30s - some of them
hadn't even been born when these things were last in fashion.
(KOREAN) "We can call retro a cultural 'recovery phenomenon'.
Although we live in a period where smartphones provide multiple functions, people now are
looking for cell phones that only allow calling or cassette tapes for just listening to music."
Culture critics view this situation in a positive light as they believe this accumulated culture
from the past can add something to people's lives today.
Retro culture has also permeated the entertainment industry.
A retro cafe in downtown Seoul has arcade games from 80s and 90s.
(KOREAN) "Life was a lot harder in the past.
Even getting a simple piece of information was very difficult.
Now since we have access to the internet, we can look up what it was like in the past
and try to enjoy the things we couldn't enjoy back then."
Visitors say they have bittersweet feelings when playing classic arcade games such as
Street Fighters and Super Mario.
(KOREAN) "Playing these games reminds me of the time
I used to pull all-nighters with my friends... and my past love.
Just as listening to old music reminds you of a specific moment, playing old games reminds
you of some great memories of the past."
Culture experts say retro is a reinterpretation of older trends.
It tries to resolve current problems with lessons drawn from the past.
(KOREAN) "Culture always comes with continuity.
Retro is a culture itself in which those who lived the through period are reintroduced
to it,... and for those who haven't experienced the period, retro comes down to peculiarity
and curiosity.
And one thing for sure, the current trends and culture will also in a decade or two become
'retro'.
Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News.