Nowadays it seems as if Gen-Z has taken a liking to fashion from every other decade but their own. From leg warmers to low rise jeans, you name it – our generation wears it. But, what is it about fashion from other eras that makes us want to look like we invented a time machine to take a blast to the past?
This could be due to the fact that Gen-Z loves to reminisce about any and everything even if they were not there to experience that time. According to a study done by the research company GWI, 15% of Gen-Z have a preference for thinking about the past instead of the future.
An abundance of examples for this way of thinking can be seen all over social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok. This usually consists of the generation posting that they wish they could experience things like 90’s love (because our generation apparently sucks at romance). Or even reminiscing on recent years like the Summer of 2016, an era where most claim that they felt the “happiest”. Some probably cannot wait till the new year comes because then they can indulge in memories of 2024.
This research of thoughts being stuck in the past instead of the future makes sense why fashion is seemingly frozen in time and explains the cycle of bringing back pieces from the older generations.
The most trending era of fashion that you might see most of Gen-Z sporting is late 90’s to 2000’s clothing trends, also more popularly known as Y2K. This consists of low rise jeans, Juicy Couture tracksuits, glitter detailing, etc.
With Y2K’s popularity in the media, many brands have decided to hop on the bandwagon while it’s still hot, as a way to appeal to the younger generations. For example, in recent years the clothing brand “Juicy Couture” adopted a modern style of clothing that differs from their old look of the 2000’s. Fans of the brand did not like this and began buying vintage Juicy Couture second hand and saying it’s a Y2K staple piece. The brand took note of this and dropped a collection that featured tracksuits in their original Y2K style instead of the modern version they usually had.
Even though our generation gravitates towards fashion pieces of the Y2K era, the one thing that has not been brought back is the beauty standards from that time period. It was quite typical to only witness skinny people wearing those trends. Now, Gen-Z has made sure to emphasize inclusivity when bringing these decades back. Nowadays, it’s normal to see people of all shapes and sizes sporting Y2K clothing.
The emphasis on nostalgic clothing seems to be here to stay as it’s been a trending topic for years now. With so many brands adapting to that style, it might be a long time before we see fashion completely rid of the trends from past generations. Nostalgic clothing pieces evidently is Gen Z’s hyperfixation and it’s quite refreshing to see my generation adopt old styles while also disregarding the toxic standards of that era.
