Trends Aren’t Trending
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Cottage core, neo-bohemian, twee, coastal grandma, night luxe, barbiecore, clean girl, balletcore, old money, soft girl: to be honest, I’m not really sure what most of these aesthetics mean. Scrolling through TikTok, it feels like a new trend appears on my “For You” page every other video. The representation of viral fashion in particular genuinely gives me whiplash. The culture of a trend’s life cycle has changed, and with the ability to post any new fad at the tip of your fingers, the days of trend forecasting are looking grim.
The tendency to label your identity, aesthetic, and appearance is nothing new. We’ve seen the ebbs and flows of micro-trend cycles before on platforms like Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter– but TikTok has changed the game. TikTok curates niche aesthetics and plants them in front of consumers, targeting one after the other. Serving like an incubator of trends, it’s grown difficult to decipher what’s going to stick versus what’s just basking in its short-lived glory.
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Despite the illusion of these micro-fads, many consumers continue to buy in. With each message, video and reel personally curated towards the consumer, TikTok is the ultimate way to market. Shaping the way big brands and companies reach their target audiences, TikTok has not only sped up the trend cycle, but it has shifted the overall fashion industry.
Fast fashion’s influx of consumers can traced to the trend-seeking audiences of TikTok. With the ability to push out new products, receive immediate feedback, and sell out in stores all within the same day, these larger companies are booming. Consumers are no longer eyeing esteemed institutional tastemakers, but rather following their beloved influencers, creators and micro-celebrities. These influencers are in return reaping the benefits. Through promotional content, sponsored ads, and brand campaigns, these influencers are essentially being paid to set trends.
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So — is anything actually cool anymore? Right now, everything seems to be in– meaning nothing is out. This era gives us the ultimate power to dress how we like, minus the impending doom of not being cool.
However, with this new found freedom, how do we decipher what we actually like versus what's viral just for today? Trying something new doesn’t spark the same excitement as it used to. Switching from high rise to low rise, for example, feels more like routine than an exploration of personal style. It’s hard to feel unique in a world where everything’s trending.
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TikTok’s impact on the frequency of trend cycles is only a needle in the haystack in the constant shift of the fashion industry. As fashion, technology, and business continue to bleed into one another, there's no telling the trends of tomorrow.
Strike Out,
Amelia Sturkie
Editor: Gianna Rodriguez
Athens