Parents and kids going vintage to bond the old-fashioned way

PARENTS are bridging the generation gap with their kids through a shared interest in all things vintage and retro.

From shopping together at op shops for vintage clothing, scouring record shops for vinyl albums and embracing stamp and coin collections - what's old is new and cool again.

"There are few intergenerational connections these days, but vintage create shared points of interest between kids and their parents," said demographer Mark McCrindle. "It's nostalgia for the parents and something new for the young."

Kate Parker and her daughter Annabelle, from Murrumbeena in Victoria, have bonded through a love of vintage fashion.

"Sometimes we don't see eye to eye, but shopping brings us together," Mrs Parker said.

Annabelle, who will soon be 21, is drawn to the fashions of her mother's era - the '70s and '80s - and the interest allows Kate to share her childhood with her daughter.

"We recently found clothes with the 80s puffed shoulders," Kate said. "It was great to share that past."

Salvos Stores are reporting a ten per cent increase in customers on last year and a 3.9 per cent increase in sales, while the retail average is just 1.2 per cent.

Tracey Maloney, from Sunshine in Victoria, is one of four generations of women who shop for vintage clothes together.

"It's a pilgrimage for us," Tracey explained. "I have a deep appreciation for the things I had as a child and I am able to share that."

And it also allows the younger women to develop an identity and share their interest with the older women.

"I watch my daughter and granddaughter construct their own identity through the things they find," said Tracey. "It's amazing."

Many fathers too are finding a love of old music can help them connect with their kids.

"We especially see dads buying vinyl records for their kids," said Paul Cook from Heartland Records in North Melbourne.

Vinyl record sales are at their highest since 1991 with 127,000 12" vinyl albums sold last year totalling $1.9 million in sales, despite the format once being thought dead. The intergenerational connection has helped bring it back from the brink.

"Dad's vinyl connection makes him cool and listening to the record through the shared sound of the speakers is a chance to connect," said Mr McCrindle.

It's thought to take between 15 and 20 years, one whole generation, for something to become so retro it is fashionable again.

Scooby Doo and Cabbage Patch Kids are the rage in children's toys and The Smurfs and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will soon be back on cinema screens.

And even collecting footy cards, stamps and coins are back in vogue for Aussie kids.

"Kids are starting collections and it is something parents are encouraging because they can relate to it," said Mr McCrindle. "It is something we haven't seen for decades."