Disclaimer: I am not a fashion expert by any means. Everyone is free to wear whatever they think represents their character best, so please take my words with a grain of salt. 

Whether it be Christian Dior’s “New Look” post-World War II or Jane Birkin’s “Jeans and A Tee” in 1974, fashion can be telling in many aspects of society. Different looks not only reveal what may be trending, but they can tell a story- one that connects clothing and history. One notable instance is the increase in women wearing pants in the mid-20th century. It signified a sense of liberation from societal norms and strict gender roles. Women were able to integrate themselves into society, and pants no longer held a masculine connotation. 

Entire decades have their distinct mainstream fashion trends. The 1960s saw baby doll dresses and Mary-Jane shoes. The 1990s introduced animal prints and cargo pants, and the 2000s saw low-rise jeans and statement belts take center stage. These iconic staples have resurfaced circa 2025. I would describe current fashion as the taking of old trends and repurposing them into something more suitable in this day and age. That leads me into this article’s main purpose: is fashion culture in the 2020s authentic, and will it hold any value in the next few decades? 

Describing the clothes we see in fashion today is quite complicated. There are aspects from different cultures and decades that seep into the clothing we see, buy, and wear.  When I think of today’s fashion scene, I think of the sharp rise and intense descents that come with trends. Items will be “in style” for a few moments, but they don’t make a lasting impression on consumers. For a brief time, 1990s-style bucket hats were trending. However, they lost their flair after a few short months. The same thing can be said with some of the bold clothing patterns seen in 2020-2021. This phenomenon has been apparent for years on end, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop anytime soon. Some may be asking why this is the case, but I have a potential answer. 

The average person isn’t going to shop at a luxury brand like Hermes or Saint Laurent. It’s simply too expensive. However, there is a glaring issue at the stores most do shop at: a lack of brand creativity. When one item or design is trending, name brands ALL reshape their collections to fit into that singular mold. From a marketing standpoint, it seems smart. A brand can attract consumers if it sells the hottest item. The dilemma comes with HOW they carry it out. These brands sell low-quality, flimsy products and price them at a far higher value than what they were produced for. Not only does this ruin the shopping experience, but it leads to an oversaturation of the same product. If every brand is selling the same thing, how is one supposed to branch out and try new items?

In short, they can’t. Fashion trends die so quickly because they become “basic” fast. There isn’t enough time for a trend to truly simmer and make a lasting impact for more than 2 years. Fashion is an industry that was built on diversifying and creating innovative clothing options, but it seems to be unable to live up to that standard. That doesn’t mean that a person isn’t able to curate an iconic look in this decade. Zendaya’s look on Jimmy Kimmel Live shows the versatility of fashion as a whole. I would say it takes a lot more effort for one to build a distinct fashion profile than ever before, but it isn’t entirely impossible. 

So, is fashion culture a big microtrend? I would say yes and no. Fast fashion has taken over, and it’s here to stay. People are going to find dupes for more expensive products and items, but that’s just how our world has shifted. There are so many people out there who can create a look from anything, and the creativity of the fashion industry hasn’t been completely depleted. Fashion is complicated, but that’s the beauty of it.