What *even* are microtrends?
Microtrends are smaller, under-the-radar trends which seemingly come from nowhere, and it can be increasingly difficult to trace their origins. Many microtrends have popped up organically this past year, with more and more diverse social media feeds and the pandemic impacting the sporadic nature of these trends.
An example – @houseofsunny, a self-proclaimed sustainably-focused fashion company based in London, is another brand to have gained immense success from highly specific micro-trending, with its infamous Hockney dress becoming a cult classic amongst celebrities and influencers alike. The brand’s success then continued beyond the Hockney dress, with its quirky designs and kitsch aesthetics remaining continually popular amongst consumers.
Microtrends have risen, with specific items and styles gaining popularity outside the control of mass corporations and fast fashion sites. In this sense, fashion seasons which were once pillars of trend forecasting algorithms are coming to an end, to make way for the rapid independent succession of specific products and styles. Although these changes might be upending traditional trend forecasting, they could actually encourage a new wave of more ethical and sustainable fashion consumption.
Ultimately, buying sustainably and making ethical choices over the clothes you wear is a complex issue. However, microtrends prove that consumers are willing to do the work to ensure that they have autonomy in the choices they make and the trends they follow.
According to fashion company @renttherunway, in 2018 from the same article by Thomas, about 68 new pieces of clothing were bought on average each year. In addition, these clothing pieces were on average only being worn about seven times until the garments ended up in a landfill. Another report from a Chinese fashion company, Y Closet, claimed that the consumer will only use the new article of clothing only a mere three times before its eventual destination into the landfill.
It is absurd that there can be such waste produced by the microtrends that are fleeting. Let’s take this year and last year for comparing how fast microtrends come and go, to ‘justify’ why many unaware or impressionable consumers religiously follow these microtrends of the month. A short-lived trend that we saw was the Gucci Marmont belt, and every influencer was sporting it until it fell out of fashion, soon after so many people were seen wearing it constantly. Just recently, the Vivianne Westwood ‘mini bas relief choker’ was adorned on Tik Tok influencers, YouTubers, Instagram models and celebrities in 2020.
Just a year later, the mini bas relief choker is very old news. Another trend that was seen in 2020, was the Lirika Matoshi Strawberry Midi Dress that Tess Holiday wore on the red carpet, and other influencers put on their Instagram grids. Now the hype for the coined ‘Strawberry dress’ is no longer considered cool. All of these luxury goods came with tons of knock-offs soon after the hype was reaching its peak, so these looks were relatively accessible for the average consumer to copy the influencer.
Be aware and mindful
There is so much waste created to fuel the delusion to look or feel like the ultra-famous and rich. Let’s not fool ourselves; exploitation of third-world countries of extremely underpaid child labor and vulnerable workers are forced to work in sweatshops for long hours, to create garments that a person will wear a few times and toss into the trash. The mainstream social media culture has in recent years preached to its consumers and followers to be ‘green’, ‘eco-friendly’, ‘vegan’ and buy ‘ethically sourced’ goods. Yet, these same influencers would wear fast fashion for money and sponsorship deals. One cannot have their cake and eat it too.
Follow @itp.live for more such eye-opening content.Â