photo credit: Ava Mejia
Fashion is a repeating cycle, almost like the cycle of life. One moment, a certain style or accessory is trending, and the next it’s cancelled and out of style. Yet, the trends always seem to repeat themselves as the generations pass.
We can see the 2000s style resurfacing in Gen Z fashion. Stores like Hollister, H&M and more are bringing these tried and true styles back on shelves. People can spot a student rocking a babydoll top, flare pants, UGG’s, small lens sunglasses and low rise jeans in the halls.
The new resurgence of 2000s style is very akin to the resurgence of 90s style that occurred back in the day. Some items from the 90s are also seeing a spike, like flannels and flare pants.
“What stands out to me the most about the return of the early 2000s is how much it reminds me more of the early 90s. I was your age during that time, and it’s very nostalgic for me,” Family Consumer Science Teacher and Fashion Club Adviser Brandie Painter said.
A big player in the 2000s revival is digital media. Trends are a huge part of social media algorithms. Celebrity and influencer promotions start trends that social media users tend to follow. This applies to fashion trends; there’ve been cases where an article of clothing a celebrity wears gets sold out instantly.
“It definitely helps to emphasize rising trends, and a lot of influencers are wearing more 2000s trends. Therefore, oftentimes when celebrities follow a trend it becomes a lot more popular,” Senior and Fashion Club President Evelyne Genovesi said.
Similarly, Painter said social media doesn’t just contribute to fashion trends, but it leads it. These trends, like all trends, have a reason for resurging every once in a while. Fashion trends tend to cycle around until they’re brought back in a later era.
“Honestly, how many more new ideas are out there when it comes to wearable fashion. People want to wear clothes that are comfortable, functional and stylish. ‘Retro’ fashion is iconic and classic, and most importantly, celebrated. I love that!” Painter said.
Contributing to the rise of these 2000s trends are the stores and movies. Lots of movies and shows reference 2000’s fashion, giving it the iconic feel that Gen Z is trying to capture with their style. Stores like Hollister and H&M have started to rack their shelves with low rise jeans, baby doll tops, 2000’s style graphics, slip dresses and more. Thrift stores have also started to gain more popularity, feeding into the 2000s style once more.
“A lot of like trends and movies are referencing it a lot more, and also thrifting got more popular so it could be a reason.Stores started to bring back a lot of the clothing,” Genovesi said.
Like all trends, this current trend of wearing 2000s style clothing is bound to pass and eventually crop up again in the future.
“A lot of times, trends get very overused or people get bored of it and move on to a new trend, but once it’s been long enough that people forget about the trends the cycle repeats, “ Genovesi said .
The most common articles of clothing from the current 2000s inspired style will more than likely stick around after the trend passes, due to the fact that it’s already cemented in Gen Z’s wardrobes.
“Some of the basic parts of trends like low rise and the style of the tops might stick around but normally trends, unfortunately, don’t end up sticking around for very long,” Genovesi said.
Eventually, the 2000s style will die back down and become another distant memory of when everyone in school wore the same clothing, becoming another one of many fashion trends. However, like all trends, it will come back eventually, whether that be in the near or distant future.
