Microtrends & Why I Hate Them
What is a microtrend?
What is a microtrend you ask? In the simplest definition, a microtrend is a fad that has its 15 seconds of fame before dying out just as quickly – and not only is the trend out, but it is essentially deemed heinous if worn past its primetime special.
It’s full definition? Keep reading.
If you are on the fashion and/or beauty sides of TikTok then you are actually probably well-versed in microtrends. The most infamous is the Y2K resurgence that took the internet by storm in 2020 when TikTok had its initial boom. Other times microtrends can simply be a specific must-have article of clothing like 2021’s Jacquemus Mini Bag, the House of Sunny Hockney Dress, or the raw-hem patchwork pants also popular in 2020.
Oftentimes though these trends are easily identifiable by creative names. Some examples: the “coastal grandma” wave that rocked the summer of 2021, the infamous Hailey Beiber “glazed donut” manicure of 2022, and last fall’s “old money” aesthetic.
Lately though, these names have gotten a little more outlandish with the verbiage including things like the “mob-wife” aesthetic (like???), “office siren” (please, women are already sexualized enough in corporate jobs regardless of fashion), and of course, all things ending in the word -core (i.e. mermaidcore, barbiecore, even clowncore – yes, I’m serious).
If you haven’t caught on to my tone or read the title of this post, I am not the biggest fan of microtrends for a number of reasons.
Why I hate them
1. The Environmental Impact
Yes, I’m going to be serious for a minute and talk about the environmental impact of microtrends and if you’re not interested just keep scrolling – but also, why the fuck not? You live on this planet too.
Nonetheless, as someone who works in the fashion industry, its environmental impact is something I am not only aware of but also actively try to do my part to minimize, if not avoid. For those of you who do not know, fast fashion specifically is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions.
As a stylist, I prioritize thrifting secondhand or vintage pieces for clients or sourcing them from green brands. I also currently work for Reformation, a climate-neutral and soon-to-be climate-positive brand that uses recycled fibers as well as sustainable and ethical manufacturing processes. In my personal style, I am an avid thrifter and always check my favorite secondhand sites and stores when I’m looking to expand my wardrobe.
Why then are microtrends so much worse for the fashion industry and environment than regular trends? Short answer: because of their short-lived nature and the way retailers desperately try to keep up.
Fast fashion brands like Shein, Amazon, Zara, and Forever 21 see TikTok as their shepherd for what consumers are looking for and will quickly produce new skews in order to meet the demands of the microtrends. However, by the time production is underway, the microtrend is already on its way out, if not completely out already. That said, immense waste is created including textiles that generate greenhouse methane gas and embed toxic chemicals and dyes into groundwater and soil.
This overproduction inevitably ends up in landfill, the fuels used to power the production lines have emitted toxic shit into the air, and essentially more damage is done for literally no reason.
Simply put, microtrends have overwhelmingly increased the speed of fashion in many facets and as consumers, if we choose to frivolously continue to feed into these trends, we are really just making it worse for everybody while also looking horrible (I mean, I just am really not over fucking clowncore am I).
2. Depriving a Sense of Self & Personal Style
If you are a client of mine, number 1, I fucking love you, and number 2, you know that as your stylist, my main goal is to help you feel your most confident. And feeling confident starts with having a strong sense of self and your style should reflect that.
Making your outsides reflect your insides is my mission. Who you are, what artistically speaks to you, how you want to show up to the world is so personally ours to decide and microtrends deeply deprive us of the ability to actualize those choices.
When we choose to follow microtrends, we are giving up our sense of individuality and becoming another brick in the wall. Even though personal iterations of these trends look different by nature, the trends themselves are so rigid – especially the more outlandish ones or clothing item specific ones – that in order to follow them, you have to fully adhere to them.
However that is not to say you can’t dabble in these trends (again, dabble being the keyword here).
3 Tips for Playing with Microtrends
If you’re going to explore microtrends, here’s how to do it:
1. Thrift, thrift, thrift
If a microtrend is outside of your personal style and you’re not sure if you want to fully invest the money on it, hit up Depop, Poshmark, Thredup, TheRealReal or your favorite local thrift if you’re not already shopping secondhand. This is a great way to sustainably try things out without contributing to the environmental issues I discussed above.
Additionally, most of the time these microtrends play on styles that were popular in the past, like the Y2K movement. So your thrift will have some bits that not only follow the trend but also are truly from that era. And clothes with a previous life are way more satisfying to wear anyways.
For microtrends like coastal grandma, a striped button down or a white linen shirt were trademarks of this trend. If you’ve thrifted before, then you know button downs in any color or pattern are always abundant at the thrift. Additionally, cheetah print was everywhere in the 90s, so finding a faux fur coat at the thrift for the mob-wife aesthetic is a cakewalk.
2. Be selective
There are two sides to this coin here. The first being that you should try to select microtrends that have a place in your personal style. This allows for easier integration and prevents creating looks that are devoid of your unique style.
For example, if your style language includes words like polished and chic, the “old money” aesthetic is something you could easily explore. Or the Aritzia Wilfred Melina Pants that also took TikTok by storm in 2020 would very easily follow suit. But again, I recommend looking to thrift leather pants before buying new, even if they are vegan leather.
Opposedly, if your style language includes things like sporty, functional, casual – a teeny weeny Jacquemus Mini Bag is going to be scarcely reflective of your personal style as well as difficult to fully get the return on investment and incorporate outside of evening or event looks.
This brings me to the other side of this coin – item-specific microtrends.
Look, I am an avid microtrend hater. But the microtrends I choose to participate in are not microtrends to me.
More specifically and for example, I am an Adidas Samba girlie through and through. This is technically classified as a “microtrend” because of the nature of how quickly they become popularized. However, I waited a couple of months before purchasing to see if 1) I truly liked them outside of the trend and 2) I would be able to incorporate them into my wardrobe long-term. In my personal style, a Samba is now a wardrobe staple that I actively choose over my other sneakers and will have until the end of time because of how versatile and comfortable they are as well as how they help me achieve my desired personal style language.
That said, be selective with microtrends and microtrend pieces that you could see yourself wearing long-term and help emulate your ideal personal style. Same example as above, if you are someone who’s style language includes polished and chic, the Prada Loafers that also raged in 2020 could easily still be in your wardrobe today while also playing into the “old money” aesthetic.
3. Lean in, don’t dive
Similarly to my last point, lean in, dabble, play. Trends are meant to be fun. They’re meant to add spice and differentiation to your existing persona and style language should you choose to partake in them.
That in mind, if your style is polished and chic BUT the clowncore (I can’t believe I’m saying this but yes, there is a way to play into this without it looking garish) speaks to you for some reason, try a swiss-dot printed dress, try a striped pant, try a chunkier loafer. You’re leaning in but you’re not showing up looking like Pennywise because TikTok said it was in.
The Final Final
Do I hate most microtrends? Yes. Do I think they are catalyzing the rate at which fast fashion brands are contributing to environmental damage? Yes. Do they deprive individuals of what I work to help them achieve in terms of personal style? Yes. However – there is a way to explore them without losing yourself and potentiating the problem.
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