If you aged between 15-21, you might be excited at the projected new trends for 2017 – low-cut jeans, velour tracksuits, etc. But, if you were old enough to dress yourself back in the early 00s, you probably dropped your phone in horror and cursed the fashion gods because, yes, those trends you now look back on in disdain are making a comeback.
Nevertheless, the phrase “once bitten, twice shy” may not apply to you. For many, regardless of past opinion, the peer pressure of not only accepting but embracing a new trend, whether they really like it or not, is something that cannot be fought. So, the real question for most of us is not whether we will revert back to wearing bandanas, but when?
Whether we like to admit it or not, we are influenced by the fashion industry. They set a trend and we follow. But why do they even bother setting trends? Clothes are a necessity; wouldn’t we buy them anyway? Yes but the market is not necessarily about the product, more what the product represents. It is more about fashion, which is, in turn, more about personality, than it is about clothing.
Trends are usually “new” ways of wearing fashion and are often pretty out there. People who lust after and wear these trends do so because they believe it makes them stand out from the rest and therefore, they see trends as a way to express their individuality. For them, fashion designers are artists, artists who make suggestions on what to wear. And this can be accepted as the truth, to an extent. Take, for instance, jeggings. Some people like to wear jeans but prefer the comfort of leggings. Welcome to the world jeggings!
But let’s bear one thing in mind: it is not the fashion brands which create the trend, it is us. For a trend cannot become a trend until it is socially accepted and until a large number of us follow and promote it. It just needs one person looking for a creative outlet to kick things off. If they are influential enough, the rest of us will follow. And, with the rise and rise of social media influencers who many, of course, have the backing of major fashion labels, and the continual need for social acceptance, it is more likely than ever that something will stick.
Some of you may be nodding along in agreement now but there is still one thing you are questioning: why recycle old trends rather than invent new ones? Well, I guess you could say that it is not easy to continually create something different. I also say “why bother going to the effort?”. These days it is all about fast fashion anyway, so why not take an old piece, make a slight alteration and sell it to upcoming fashionistas who haven’t already experienced the trend, or to those who appreciate a sense of familiarity. All the brands need to do is have a few influential people seen wearing their ‘creation’ and the masses will follow.
So, who really is to blame for those awful 00s trends making their big comeback in 2017? Well, the manufacturers of course for reproducing them. But, if you don’t want them to stick around, you have the choice – don’t be a sheep and just don’t wear the damn things.
