What Is Newtro?
Firstly, the word “Newtro” is a combination of the words “new” and “retro” and has become the label for a trend of modernised retro which appeared around 2018 in South Korea.
Newtro tends to centre around 80’s and 90’s nostalgia for fashion, food, electronics, drinks, music and films which has become popular with middle aged people but also of great interest to a much younger generation.
Generally, threads of Newtro are interpretations of those decades giving new life to the trends whilst being obviously an echo of the past.
You only need look as far as Samsungs Z Flip to see where the concept came from and why it fits into the Newtro trend. Samsung being just one of many industries looking to cash in by creating many home appliances that have a Newtro design style to them.
Newtro does not just focus on the 80’s and 90’s, in fact, there has been a growth of a cultural awareness of many traditions that people are looking to give a nod to, respecting their roots and embracing designs and techniques that are many hundreds of years old.
In South Korea the trend acknowledges things such as architecture, that of the historical Hanok which is traditional style housing first designed in the 14th Century. Naturally if you are looking to recreate such an iconic architectural design you will most likely also ensure that the interior décor and furniture represent it also.
There are many different areas to the Newtro trend, and my aim is to document as much as possible about this niche as I can. I note that this has become a global interest not least amongst some of the market influencers around the world.
If anyone would like to contribute knowledge and experience to this blog, feel free to drop me a line on the contact page.
Until Next Time
Dominus Owen Markham
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