Taking a step back in time with ‘Era’: Warwick’s vintage society

As a second-year, all that anyone seems to be focused on at the moment is the future: summer internships, deciding on career paths, and the dreaded CV workshops. Always thinking about what is to come can feel stressful, especially when you’re not completely sure about what you want from life. That’s why it felt like such a breath of fresh air to speak with Ana, President of ERA – the vintage society at Warwick. In a time when so many people are looking to the future, this society is reminding people about the importance of remembering the past. Ana tells me: “Vintage is a pair of glasses you can never take off once you see it”.

According to Ana, ERA is not just about wearing old clothes or listening to your dad’s music (although that is a part of it). Instead, it’s about being “a safe place where people can go and exert a bit of creativity”. The word ‘vintage’ is an umbrella term used to cover all different aspects of people whose interests involve an appreciation of the past: clothing, music, film, crafts, political movements, literature, the list goes on. It is a place for people who care about the past to come together as a community.

This idea is encompassed by their variety of social events. Ana believes there is “a huge audience that wants to slow down and appreciate that time is going by”, which has resulted in many relaxed social events being organised. They have previously hosted film nights, craft sessions, and charity shop crawls. However, ERA have also gone on cocktail crawls, visited the secret speakeasy bar in Leamington, and hosted iconic jazz nights. Overall, there definitely seems to be a nice balance of calm events alongside classic nights out. Ana tells me: “We don’t really have a specific niche which we are targeting, so anything that our society members want us to do is what we’ll be inclined to host as events”.

Another important aspect of vintage culture is sustainability, as the modern world continues to wreak havoc on the environment

With the Christmas spirit slowly approaching, the society is also looking to put on some themed seasonal events, including possibly doing vintage-inspired baking, upcycling old Christmas jumpers, and a very highly-requested black-and-white film night. But my personal favourite discovery is their ‘talking circles’, where people can come together to appreciate history and talk about whatever vintage-related topics they fancy.

Another important aspect of vintage culture is sustainability, as the modern world continues to wreak havoc on the environment: Shein is filling up every rack in the charity shops, AI data centres are set to consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity by 2030, and fast-fashion is producing more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world six times. “It’s very important to stay aware of our impact on the modern world”, Ana says. Therefore, there is “a huge element” of that sustainability culture infused into the society. For example, Ana described how “things used to be a lot more hand-me-downs, upcycling, remaking things that you don’t wear anymore, reworking them, turning them into new things”, and that doesn’t really seem to happen anymore. Due to this, the society is currently working on planning an event where members can learn vintage upcycling techniques.

Similarly, she highlighted that “part of appreciating vintage comes with a bit of criticism”, as all decades of history come with their own human struggles. For example, Ana informed me of her love for the sixties and seventies, particularly the feminist movement. However, the sixties is also infamous for the civil rights movement and deeply prejudiced political views. It is not about ignoring the negative aspects of history, but understanding them.

One thing that kept coming up was the importance of appreciating that time is passing, rather than wishing it all away

I keep mentioning the values and sense of community within this society, however the best way to demonstrate it is through Ana’s own origin story. She recounted to me her experience of forcing herself out of her comfort zone last year, when she decided to go to a vintage society event, alone. Understandably, she was quite nervous to attend – and almost didn’t go – until she got there and met “a lovely group of people” who instantly made her feel welcomed into the society.

Now, as President of ERA, she “want[s] to take on the role to make sure that everyone is as comfortable to join as [she] was” by hosting a variety of events where people can explore their vintage-focused interests in a “safe place”.

During this conversation, one thing that kept coming up was the importance of appreciating that time is passing, rather than wishing it all away. Overall, I found that – with the rise of the LinkedIn ‘Woxbridge’ Warriors constantly hustling towards their future – the vintage society offers a different perspective. Taking things slow isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, it can make your day feel a whole lot better to stop for a minute, and think about where you have come from to reach where you are today.

As the conversation came to a close I asked Ana one final question… “If a fresher could only be a member of one society this year, what would you say to convince them to join the vintage society?”. She told me: “everyone fits in, everyone has a place here”.