A word can have several effects on people, our brains connect certain words with different feelings and memories. One word could represent a history, and one such word that holds many meanings in its letters is “Vintage”. The word vintage was first used in the 15th century, and it meant wine harvest. Vintage used to refer to the specific year that the grapes were cultivated in. It went on for “vintage” to denote the quality of certain wines, or how old were they. Today, however, this word took on a whole different meaning. It is still used to refer to wine, but the widespread meaning changed along the years and it came to be connected with nostalgia and culture.
Hearing the word vintage said out loud could ignite many feelings in people, and one of them is nostalgia. Vintage has this sense of old antique things that are impossible to put a price on, valuable pieces which tell the history of a certain era. The word inflames this feeling of longing for the past, and a vintage piece of furniture or clothes has this aura around it, this sense of mystery and opacity. Vintage pieces define the culture and narration of a country. They hold the key to our predecessors’ art intelligence, and they are an important part of our culture.
Sometimes, a person may think of vintage items as those like antique cameras or cars. Another meaning for this word is when an item resembles that of a specific era, but was not actually produced at that time. This is a great way to preserve and maintain a certain culture. In the Middle East, producing such vintage products is very popular. Traditional clothes and cutlery, making items the way our ancestors used to using pottery, brass and copper, is an act that helps to keep the memory of the past alive. It is very popular for most families in the Middle East to have a piece of their past inside their home. Some use it in a practical way; others keep it as a curio. Shops that produce vintage items are very important to our culture. One such shop is Khan Dimashq. This shop is a Syrian based shop that sells oriental items such as pots and statues. It is a shop that challenges war and tragedy by continuing to tell stories and show the richness of the past.
Arms and Antiques: Qajar Collection
The word vintage has gone through many changes over the years. It used to have a very specific meaning, and over the years it changed to become a word which ignites feelings rather than definitions. A story is told through vintage items manufactured in the past and present, and the shops which maintain these traditions must be protected at all costs, because they keep the past alive!