Fashion. Don’t we love it all? The endless scrolling on Pinterest, TikTok or Instagram to see what other people are wearing. Saving pins to boards as inspiration and TikTok reels on ‘fashion inspo’- it can be entertaining to dive into the rabbit hole of the current fashion trends. The truth is, trends in the fashion industry die out very quickly, instantly replaced by the next big thing.
Current trends
Fashion trends are constantly popping up. Today, it’s all about the bows. Referred to as the “coquette aesthetic”, bows have made their way into the world of online fads. The coquette aesthetic focuses on the more girly side of fashion. It’s all about bows, ribbons, lots of pink, lace, frills, heart prints and flower patterns.
According to Pinterest, the word “coquette” began to receive attention on the platform in November 2021. But the aesthetic has received particular attention over the last few months.
While the coquette aesthetic is a pretty picture to look at, it also begs the question- well, what’s the next trend?
At some point, people will begin to get sick and tired of looking at bows. The bows are everywhere- in girls’ hair, on the backs of phone cases, on a packet of chocolate… you get the point. But what exactly is the next trend?
Remember the Cottage Core aesthetic? This aesthetic is about residing in the countryside while baking, gardening and living in the present.
This aesthetic has a sense of ‘living off the grid’ to it. Cottage Core includes clothing like floral prints, corset tops, and clothing inspired by the Victorian era.
Bucket hats, tie-dye clothing, jumpsuits, mom jeans, Barbie core- these are all micro trends. Micro trends are categorized as those fads that quickly enter the trend cycle and are swiftly replaced in a matter of weeks, maybe days. These trends have worryingly short life spans- this is largely due to the influence of social media.
By constantly consuming content on the internet, we’re exposed to the never-ending scrolling that exists on these platforms. Posts and reels about trends, whether bows or puff sleeve blouses, flared jeans or cargo pants- the point is that seeing someone else style these trends only encourages us to purchase the item for ourselves.
Bearing the costs
We rarely consider the negative effects that these micro trends can have. Firstly, micro trends encourage the fast fashion industry. There’s an immediate need to produce clothing at a rate that can keep up with the cyclical nature of trends- the demand is high at peak points of a trend or the optimum point of popularity of the clothing. During this time, fashion brands are rapidly producing that particular clothing item and customers are willing to hop onto the trend and make the purchase.
Eventually, the hype surrounding the trend slows down a little and it isn’t loved by as many as it once was. Companies then produce less of the item. Suddenly, social media popularizes some other clothing trend and fast fashion brands quickly follow suit in manufacturing the garment; and so the cycle begins all over again.
The environment is bearing the costs. Think of Shein, we’ve all heard of this fast fashion brand that sells relatively cheap, trendy clothing.
In 2022, Shein received a net income of $800 million, so it’s safe to say that Shein is significantly profiting off of micro trends. Shein Hauls have become the latest popular content to watch, whether on TikTok or YouTube, these videos play a substantial role in encouraging the short life cycle of these fashion trends. It’s not just Shein though, it’s also brands like Urban Planet, Forever 21 and H&M.
Fast fashion isn’t only impacting our environment. There are garment factory workers in underdeveloped countries who are suffering. These workers who come from countries such as China, India and Bangladesh are experiencing inhumane working conditions so that businesses can heavily profit off cheap labour.
Even if you are not personally bearing the costs of fast fashion, the person who produced your clothing is most likely suffering.
Moreover, the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries. It’s estimated that around 2000 gallons of water are used to produce one single pair of jeans.
The production of clothes uses enormous volumes of water in the dyeing process and in cotton production. In addition, clothing is often left behind in landfills, burned or thrown into the ocean.
According to Earth.Org, 92 million tonnes of textile waste end up in landfills every year, out of the 100 billion garments produced annually.
To vividly picture this: imagine that approximately a rubbish truck full of clothes ends up in landfill sites every second.
Additionally, the quality of these fast fashion clothing brands is questionable. The clothing is designed to be worn once or twice- it’s not designed to be a long-term item in your closet. We’ve all been there- we excitedly buy a $5 crop top reminiscent of the early 2000s to add to our collection. We end up finding out that the quality isn’t up to a high enough standard.
But at the same time, what did you expect? It was $5 and it was from a fast fashion brand. Needless to say, not all of us can afford to buy high-quality clothing at premium prices, some of us just have to stick to fast fashion brands to support ourselves.
However, you can still be environmentally conscious when buying fast fashion items- it’s all about increasing the life cycle of your clothing.
The future of it all
When you go shopping, ask yourself- am I buying this because I like it or because it’s a trend? The two could be interlinked, for example, someone could like low-rise jeans because it’s all the rave on TikTok.
But can they see themselves wearing the item? Is the clothing item something that you genuinely like and can see yourself wearing for the next few months at least and hopefully the next few years?
Asking yourself these questions and being more environmentally conscious and mindful of your shopping habits can greatly guide you toward breaking toxic shopping habits.
Additionally, buying second-hand clothing or upcycling your current clothes are also ways to switch up your wardrobe. Going thrifting is becoming increasingly popular today and it may be worth investing in.
The next time you go shopping and you are ready to buy an item, ask yourself:
Am I buying this because I like it or because it’s a trend?
This question can work great wonders on not only our bank accounts but also the environment and our attitude towards fashion trends.
Buy an item because you see yourself wearing it in the future. Remember that just because an item is trendy today doesn’t mean that this will be the case in the foreseeable future. Our actions greatly impact the environment. A little bit today goes a long way.