Loved this article, it reflects so much of what I’ve been seeing in the fashion industry lately! I think the Mob Wife aesthetic really accelerated the widespread fatigue of microtrends but if you look at actual every day people you can see that the lasting effect of that moment is the abundance of animal print on the high street where brands took it really seriously and bought into it. I feel like ‘here’s how you can use what you have in your wardrobe to lean towards X trend’ is the content I look for more but 100% agree that TikTok is just so oversaturated with the same trend content!
Glad you liked the article :) And I completely agree with what you are saying! The mob wife aesthetic was really interesting because there was so much backlash online and yet here we all are still wearing (and searching for) cheetah and leopard print. But also, it's a great example of a broader trend/aesthetic that was super easy to take inspiration from, thrift, and restyle pieces you already own.
Great piece! I have been wondering the same - so many trend forecasts, but to what end? The ones I find genuinely interesting and useful are those which tie in wider cultural narratives, ie. The WHY of it all. Rather than just ‘wear X with Y next season’. It’s also kind of ironic that trend forecasting has become so popular in fashion, given that the industry literally plans 6 months ahead in most cases! Revealing the next season’s trends in the preceding season’s shows. There’s already an element of trend prediction inherent in the system.
Thanks! Yes, I feel like now a lot of trend predictions is just looking to the runway shows, but there are a few forecasters out there who predict these trends even farther-out than 6 months based on culture, often having to justify their predictions with a lot of 'why' and 'how'.
thank you SA for your work, truly enjoy the data and the opinions
it’s maddening, tho, that personal style could be considered a trend bc then you just cannot win (in terms of separation)… but we can fix it by having the goal of trends and personal style co existing: to see the trend you like and know you’d purchase that anyway and continue to wear it long after it’s “out” and possibly even cringe but you keep on to it because you know deep down this is what suits you. it’s like wearing high waisted jeans wasn't just for the culture because now that low rise is back you’re stilling seeing people wear high waist bc it’s better for their body, better than low rise is.
i mean, wearing old dad new balance shoes may fade out but people who know that it’s for them will continue to wear it even when it’s back to being super embarrassing… and that’s personal style in my eyes.. and so if you find a trend that you think will work on yourself for the decades to come, then let it be. if nothing else it’ll just come back again in 20 years and you’ll be ahead of the curve. thank you SA
Thank you! I am really glad you liked the piece 😊 I am the biggest fan of just keeping everything in your closet and being a bit of a fashion hoarder as you never know when a piece is going to be back 'in' or how you may want to restyle it one day.
Love this deep dive into trends! I worked at a trend forecasting agency and it was fascinating to see how societal trends shape what we wear. It pushed me to be even more thoughtful in what I buy since there's a big emphasis on sustainability in trend forecasting. The shift away from microtrends feels hopeful as more consumers are becoming aware of how overconsumption plays into the climate crisis.
Definitely! The shift away may also be due to the change in attitudes towards micro trends, where it is now seen as cringe or uncool if your outfit has too many TikTok trends. But however people get there, it helps the planet and is fine by me :)
The dissonance between online and IRL ~ Now when I see someone of any age wearing true skinny jeans I mostly cannot tell if they are wearing the jeans style that they’ve worn and loved for years despite wider leg pant styles or if they are wearing them as a retro style forward look. It’s weirdly on my mind lately
It’s funny you mention how people in everyday life aren’t really following these “trends” and it’s true. You actually don’t see them on everyday people. Maybe a nod to a trend based on what they’re able to buy from their usual everyday clothing shops but not in the full on, fashion week, influencer, ‘doing it for the photo’ kind of way. In Melbourne, Australia at least, people just wear what’s comfy or what they like.
I think it’s definitely that people are getting their trends from TikTok, I would have loved to see data on Pinterest because that’s where I look for fashion inspiration. I’m a fashion journalist, myself, and I think most people don’t look for articles about fashion trends because they’re already getting bombarded with in on social media. I think what trend forecasters are missing on social media is the true data that proves their theory. A lot of the videos from trend forecasters I’ve seen is fashion trends in their own social media echo chamber or things that align with their style, it’s too biased to be accurate.
Loved this article, it reflects so much of what I’ve been seeing in the fashion industry lately! I think the Mob Wife aesthetic really accelerated the widespread fatigue of microtrends but if you look at actual every day people you can see that the lasting effect of that moment is the abundance of animal print on the high street where brands took it really seriously and bought into it. I feel like ‘here’s how you can use what you have in your wardrobe to lean towards X trend’ is the content I look for more but 100% agree that TikTok is just so oversaturated with the same trend content!
Glad you liked the article :) And I completely agree with what you are saying! The mob wife aesthetic was really interesting because there was so much backlash online and yet here we all are still wearing (and searching for) cheetah and leopard print. But also, it's a great example of a broader trend/aesthetic that was super easy to take inspiration from, thrift, and restyle pieces you already own.
Great piece! I have been wondering the same - so many trend forecasts, but to what end? The ones I find genuinely interesting and useful are those which tie in wider cultural narratives, ie. The WHY of it all. Rather than just ‘wear X with Y next season’. It’s also kind of ironic that trend forecasting has become so popular in fashion, given that the industry literally plans 6 months ahead in most cases! Revealing the next season’s trends in the preceding season’s shows. There’s already an element of trend prediction inherent in the system.
Thanks! Yes, I feel like now a lot of trend predictions is just looking to the runway shows, but there are a few forecasters out there who predict these trends even farther-out than 6 months based on culture, often having to justify their predictions with a lot of 'why' and 'how'.
Would love to know who you like/ recommend!
thank you SA for your work, truly enjoy the data and the opinions
it’s maddening, tho, that personal style could be considered a trend bc then you just cannot win (in terms of separation)… but we can fix it by having the goal of trends and personal style co existing: to see the trend you like and know you’d purchase that anyway and continue to wear it long after it’s “out” and possibly even cringe but you keep on to it because you know deep down this is what suits you. it’s like wearing high waisted jeans wasn't just for the culture because now that low rise is back you’re stilling seeing people wear high waist bc it’s better for their body, better than low rise is.
i mean, wearing old dad new balance shoes may fade out but people who know that it’s for them will continue to wear it even when it’s back to being super embarrassing… and that’s personal style in my eyes.. and so if you find a trend that you think will work on yourself for the decades to come, then let it be. if nothing else it’ll just come back again in 20 years and you’ll be ahead of the curve. thank you SA
Thank you! I am really glad you liked the piece 😊 I am the biggest fan of just keeping everything in your closet and being a bit of a fashion hoarder as you never know when a piece is going to be back 'in' or how you may want to restyle it one day.
Love this deep dive into trends! I worked at a trend forecasting agency and it was fascinating to see how societal trends shape what we wear. It pushed me to be even more thoughtful in what I buy since there's a big emphasis on sustainability in trend forecasting. The shift away from microtrends feels hopeful as more consumers are becoming aware of how overconsumption plays into the climate crisis.
Definitely! The shift away may also be due to the change in attitudes towards micro trends, where it is now seen as cringe or uncool if your outfit has too many TikTok trends. But however people get there, it helps the planet and is fine by me :)
100% - there are so many factors that go into these shifts. And on a side note, a big congrats on being featured in Vogue Business again!
The dissonance between online and IRL ~ Now when I see someone of any age wearing true skinny jeans I mostly cannot tell if they are wearing the jeans style that they’ve worn and loved for years despite wider leg pant styles or if they are wearing them as a retro style forward look. It’s weirdly on my mind lately
I absolutely love this topic! And the complexity bc how do we define what a trend means, i.e through the TikTok lenses?
It’s funny you mention how people in everyday life aren’t really following these “trends” and it’s true. You actually don’t see them on everyday people. Maybe a nod to a trend based on what they’re able to buy from their usual everyday clothing shops but not in the full on, fashion week, influencer, ‘doing it for the photo’ kind of way. In Melbourne, Australia at least, people just wear what’s comfy or what they like.
I think it’s definitely that people are getting their trends from TikTok, I would have loved to see data on Pinterest because that’s where I look for fashion inspiration. I’m a fashion journalist, myself, and I think most people don’t look for articles about fashion trends because they’re already getting bombarded with in on social media. I think what trend forecasters are missing on social media is the true data that proves their theory. A lot of the videos from trend forecasters I’ve seen is fashion trends in their own social media echo chamber or things that align with their style, it’s too biased to be accurate.
Great read. Enjoyed it thoroughly.