What is Newtro?

"Newtro (Hangul:뉴트로) is a portmanteau of the words "new" and "retro", and refers to the trend of "modernized retro". Newtro's beginnings can be traced back to 2018 in South Korea.

Newtro is an amalgamation of trends of the modern and retro eras (namely, the 1980s and 1990s) in all fields of life, such as fashion, music, movies, beverages, food, architecture, electronics, etc. Newtro is not only a nostalgic pass-time aimed for middle aged but also a source of entertainment for the younger generation. This aspect is very different from the standard retro (which is simply recreating the objects from the past). Newtro is presented by modern sense (i.e. interpretation, not representation).

This culture rose to popularity in South Korea in the year 2019, and is still popular today.

Popularization and history

With the shifting South Korean demographic turning to comprise mostly of 30- to 50-year-old individuals, media and marketing cater to the audience of this age group by making more TV shows with the Newtro concept. Companies are also reintroducing snacks and beverages with old packaging design, clothing, and past trends.

Newtro, in turn, became a bridge between the older and younger generations. Foods or snacks of the older generations became available for the younger generations, and these retro-style foods, as well as media, became a conversation starter between the generations, thus, reducing the generation gap. It is a way to create inter-generational rapport and generational integration beyond the curiosity of the memory consumption of the older generations and the retro of the young generation.

Expert Lee Jun-young, Prof. of Consumer Economics, Sangmyung University believes Newtro is very popular in South Korea since there are no limit to new content relating to Newtro. As such, Newtro products meet demand and are likely to continue to evolve and last far longer than other trends.

Rising social, economic and health issues, falling human happiness index, and strong nostalgic feelings in the fast-paced Korean society are increasing the craving for an era that was devoid of such concerns, thus also giving rise to Newtro culture.