In a Nutshell

*Retro patriotic styles have an enduring appeal.

*Don't limit yourself to Independence Day. There are plenty of opportunities year-round to pitch this trend.

A sea of people in red, white and blue emerge each year to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks and festivities. But stars and stripes – particularly with a faded, distressed look – have an unflagging, year-round appeal.

Classic Americana “never goes out of style because it’s homegrown and therefore touches on the nostalgic aspect of the unique American spirit,” according to the Creative Market blog.

Alternative Apparel (asi/34850) recently released its Americana-inspired apparel line that features the classic red, white and blue in vintage style. The company used a “fabric first” approach to ensure soft, simple and eco-friendly apparel.

“Our Americana collection is the perfect apparel for any [Fourth of July] celebration,” says Kevin Miles, director of sales operations for Alternative Apparel. “And beyond our favorite star-studded holiday, the vintage look of these styles is classic and timeless. The elevated stars-and-stripes prints create neutral design elements as a backdrop for embellishment.”

Alternative Apparel's Americana collection includes baseball tees, ringer T-shirts, sweatshirts and tank tops.

To achieve a Vintage Americana look, designers typically use dusty reds, dirty whites and faded blues. The perfect balance of all three ensures no color overpowers another. Plus, it’s more subtle and retro than the bright and vibrant flag motifs typically deployed for the Fourth of July. Think of any design or aesthetic that brings you back to the good old days. Vintage Americana reflects classic cars, 1970s-era John Travolta films and cozy diners from the 1950s.

You can find this cool 50s style roadside diner in Pink Elephant Antique Mall, Livingston, IL. I picked up some kitsch sunglasses in the mall, they seemed to fit perfectly with the vibe! Are you a fan of vintage style? What would your favourite era be? 📷 @thehappyjetlagger #EnjoyIllinois @enjoyillinois

A post shared by Suze - Travel & Lifestyle (@luxurycolumnist) on Jun 24, 2018 at 11:43am PDT

Vintage Americana has an enduring patriotic feeling, which thrives despite the challenges the U.S. currently faces, according to Lea Robinson, vice president of sales and marketing for Staton Corporate and Casual (asi/89380). “It’s a feeling that never goes away, whereas [saturated red, white and blue looks] feel like we are celebrating more in the moment.”

The vintage Americana trend has broad appeal across party lines and demographics. After all, “Vintage is ageless,” Robinson says.

“It’s really the convergence of three well-established trends — the popularity of classic styles like baseball tees and ringer tees, the appeal of the vintage look and feel, and the drive toward authentic brands,” Miles says. “It also connects to the idea of sustainability and durability.”

Vantage Apparel (asi/93390) has also been capitalizing on the retail trend by applying vintage design to its merchandise. Even the cover page of this year’s Vantage Apparel catalog is rendered in red, white and blue.

“Our design team spent a lot of time researching trends and putting together different ideas for this year’s merchandise,” says Gina Barreca, director of marketing for Vantage. “We decided on something that would show different colors and patterns that would work for various companies. The colors red, white and blue were up there and we saw an opportunity to go beyond the basic idea.”

The Vansport Zen Pullover (3450 men's, 3451 women's) from Vantage Apparel

A screen print with a vintage Americana feel by Vantage Apparel.

This Gildan Fleece Hoodie with Custom Color Draw Cord features decoration with a vintage Americana feel. 

Vantage Apparel has also explored the idea of adding the stars and stripes pattern within the fill of a logo to give it a patriotic look. Even clients that have strict logo guidelines have options: “Adding the company established date to a logo or using a small flag as a second placement are easy ways to put a heritage spin to apparel,” Barreca says.

The company also recommends screen printing with soft-hand inks and distressed art filters to achieve the vintage and nostalgic aspect of the Americana theme. Soft cotton-rib appliqué also fits with the vintage Americana look.

For J. America (asi/62977), vintage styles have been surfacing in the past few years. Steve Zimmerman, vice president of sales, says that vintage designs continue to be a staple of the company’s assortment, because “they are timeless.” J. America recently introduced vintage Americana to its Top of the World headwear collection, by adding a vintage wash to the fabric.

Vintage Americana evokes a classic, nostalgic and retro feeling in the wearer. Showing off samples in that style will help you get that message across to clients, Miles says. “Create a trend sheet that captures vintage Americana styles from runways to retail displays,” he suggests.

Though vintage Americana is a perfect fit for Independence Day, there’s no need to retire the style after the fireworks fizzle and the picnics peter out. Opportunities to use the retro motif abound, suppliers say.

“Our country has gotten very patriotic the last couple of decades, not that we hadn’t been prior to then,” Zimmerman says. “Between our national holidays, sporting events, the agriculture market and what now seems to be endless election campaigning across the country, there are numerous opportunities for distributors and decorators to work with end users on Americana themes year round.”

J. America introduced vintage Americana styling to its headwear collection.