Have you ever purchased an article of vintage clothing at a thrift store or discovered a piece of antique furniture at a yard sale? When you took the vintage dress home and found that it did not quite fit, or looked closer at the antique dresser and saw that the wood had scratches, did you consider altering it to look better? When altering the item, did you think about the ethics of modifying an old object?

Whether or not you have been in this position, you are likely familiar with the concept of altering vintage and antique items. Shopping secondhand from vintage and antique stores, as well as thrift stores, has become increasingly popular as of late, particularly among the younger generations who have a vested interest in living sustainably and cheaply. Similarly, DIY projects have become something of a trend in the past years. If you have an Instagram or a TikTok, you have likely seen people documenting their attempts at alteration, both successful and unsuccessful, on the apps. As the practice of shopping secondhand and altering items has become more popular, the debate surrounding the ethics of modifying vintage and antique pieces has risen along with it. While this debate has been a topic of conversation in the antique and vintage circles for years now, I have discovered that the average person does not give much thought to the issue or even consider it at all.

Through this website, I will discuss in depth the implications of modifying vintage and antique items, explaining in detail all sides of the debate, providing examples of alteration projects, and offering suggestions for more ethical methods of modifying vintage and antique objects. My goal is not to change your mind about alteration or argue for a specific side of the debate; rather, I want to urge you to ponder a topic that you may not have thought about before or provide an alternative way to view the issue if you are already familiar with it. Hopefully, I will convince you that the ethics of alteration is a topic worthy of deeper consideration.