Osil Retro: how zoomers bring back the fashion for MP3 players and "soap dishes"
A few years ago, vinyl records, film soap dishes, and MP3 players seemed like museum exhibits. Today, zoomers are hunting for them, collectors are willing to overpay, and manufacturers are launching vinyl production lines again. Sales of iPods increased by 62% in six months, Polaroid cameras — by 79%, and even significantly in large cities. While digital services are making music and photos more accessible, young people are increasingly choosing things that cannot be downloaded with one click — a record, film and live sound. Izvestia investigated why the smartphone generation is returning to the technologies of the past.
Retro as an investment
A new cultural phenomenon is gaining momentum in Russia: young people are massively buying up things that until recently were considered irretrievably a thing of the past. Vinyl players, MP3 players, and instant print cameras are once again becoming coveted purchases. Paradoxically, for zoomers who have grown up in the digital age, physical media is not just a way to receive content, but part of aesthetics, a way of self—expression, and even a tactile ritual: the smell of paper, the rustle of a record envelope, the feel of an object in their hands.
Almost half of Russians buy physical media from time to time: paper books, vinyl records, photographic film and other goods. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by analysts of the Mir payment system. But the main driver of this trend is not the nostalgia of the older generation, but the youth: two thirds of the respondents aged 18 to 24 purchase retro carriers.
— The interest in rare items looks quite natural: such purchases are perceived not as expenses, but as an investment in a personal collection, — says Anastasia Borisova, head of the Marketing Research Center of the Mir payment system. — Among lovers of rare items, 44% are willing to pay up to 10% of its value for the desired product, and for 10% of respondents, an overpayment of more than 50% is acceptable.
The interest in retrotechnics has already had a noticeable effect on the market. In the first half of 2026, compared with the second half of 2025, sales of MP3 players on Avito increased by 62% over the year, and demand for Polaroid cameras increased by 79%. The leaders in Polaroid sales growth were St. Petersburg and Moscow, where the figures increased 2.5 and 2.4 times, respectively. Demand increased 2.2 times in Krasnodar, and doubled in Omsk and Tyumen.
The fashion for vinyl is spreading no less confidently across the country. So, in Yaroslavl, sales of turntables increased 4.8 times over the year, in Voronezh — 3.5 times, in Irkutsk — 3.3 times. These figures show that retrotechnology has long gone beyond the metropolitan areas and is becoming an all-Russian trend.
How to become a millionaire collector
The growing demand for turntables has naturally fueled interest in the records themselves. For many, vinyl today is not only a way to listen to music, but also a collector's item.
There are many famous people among vinyl fans. For example, the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami has about 40 thousand records. His love of jazz and analog sound has been reflected in his works more than once. Paul Mounhaney's collection is even bigger: over half a century, he has collected about 3 million records, which today are estimated at about $ 50 million.
Rare editions and limited editions are increasingly becoming collectibles, and sometimes a long-term investment.
According to the analytical center "Check Index" of the OFD Platform, the average price of a vinyl record reached 1989 rubles, which is 10% higher than last year. The number of purchases increased by 6%, which indicates the willingness of the audience to pay more for physical media.
The average cost of record players in 2026 was almost 26.8 thousand rubles, which is 3% higher than in 2025.
The rise in prices for vinyl and appliances does not scare away buyers, but rather confirms the status of these goods as items with cultural and emotional value. For an audience that chooses vinyl, it's not just about listening to music, but about a ritual: from choosing a record to the playback process itself.
The interest in analog sound is also reflected in production. Vinyl production is gradually being revived in Russia. Novosibirsk-based Melodiya plant has launched Allegro II pressing lines from Hong Kong-based MTECH Engineering. They have already printed the first editions of the albums Disco Alliance by the Zodiac group, "On the wave of my Memory" by David Tukhmanov and the fairy tale "The Adventures of Captain Vrungel".
So far, production remains not fully autonomous: metal dies for pressing have to be ordered abroad. The company plans to launch its own electroplating workshop and close the production cycle by the end of the year.
Treasure Hunt
Generation Z's interest in analog aesthetics is no coincidence. According to Alexander Pestnikov, head of the categories "Household appliances" and "Audio/Video" at Avito, interest in analog technology is fueled by the very process of searching for rare specimens. Buying by hand allows you to save an average of 30-40%, and the "treasure hunt" itself turns into an exciting quest.
Fashion for aesthetics of the 1990s and 2000s also plays an important role. One of those who revived interest in film technology and made it part of a new trend was stylist Vlad Lisovets. For several years now, he has been harking back to the best elements of the past, inspiring audiences to take a fresh look at analog devices.
— I take pictures on a soap dish, and when I take out my camera, everyone pays attention and asks: "Oh, is that a film you have? Where did you buy it?" Lisovets shared his experience with Izvestia. — I stopped chasing the quick and clear. He began to do what his heart was set on. Unfortunately, analog photos have long been uninteresting to the audience on social media. But in the last six months, I've noticed that the audience has finally liked the pictures taken on film. Everything has become so similar, identical and uninteresting that young people are drawn to the roots, choosing an analog vibe.
According to the stylist, if you have something in your hands that everyone else doesn't have, it makes you special. You immediately attract attention to yourself. And this is a plus to the image.
This interest is fueled by the demand for film cameras. According to major photo centers in the capital, there are more people willing to buy soap dishes today than there are cameras themselves: many models are on the stop lists, and customers have to wait for new supplies.
At the same time, film remains an expensive hobby. Additional costs are required for the purchase and development, as well as printing of images. A Kodak 36-frame reel costs about 2,000 rubles or more. More affordable options are being sought on marketplaces that sell Chinese film and even expired color negatives. Sellers warn that in this case, the photosensitivity of the film is reduced, so it is intended primarily for shooting in artificial light. However, additional expenses do not stop enthusiasts.
Along with the demand for film, interest in related services is also growing. The printing of glossy photographs in the 10x15 cm format in the capital's laboratories starts from 30 rubles. And those who want to preserve old family photos are offered digitization of film archives. It turns out that the passion for analog photography helps young people not only to create new images, but also to carefully archive the memory of past generations.
The growing trend clearly indicates the desire of zoomers not only to stand out, but also to slow down. Until recently, retrotechnology was perceived as nostalgia for the past, but today it is becoming part of a new consumer culture that values not only the result, but also the process itself.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
