Y2K FASHION

The year 2000 meant the beginning of a new era for a lot of people, especially the computer systems. The unpreparedness of several economies to the calendar shifting after December 31st 1999 created a jobs for many to fix the two digit year system to a four digit one and this phenomenon came to known as the Y2K bug. From this phenomenon came the term Y2K fashion, although it wasn’t named at the time, it’s a name given by youngsters today as it makes a comeback two decades later. THE ORIGIN It was time period circa 2000 when young designers like Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Tom Ford at Dior brought in fashion that was rebellious to those that existed before. Movies like Mean girls, Legally Blonde, 13 going on 30 etc. represented majority of these early 2000s fashion. The early 2000s also gave us international celebrities, pop culture and style icons who with their music videos and reality shows influenced a whole generation to be rebellious, bold and reach for the stars, think Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Mischa Barton from the OC, Ashley Tisdale from High school musical, pop artists like Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani and Beyoncé. The era also made for some uncomfortable clothing like the low rise denim and corsets unlike the early 90s mom jeans that were high waisted. It was certain that the early 2000s fashion was never about comfort and being functional, it was to rebellious, over the top and iconic looks that stand out from every generation that existed before it. WHY ARE TEENS TODAY OBSESSED WITH IT? Fashion is cyclical. According to the 20-year rule, a fashion era takes 20 years to die and become fashionable again. We’ve seen the occurrence of this rule for generations, the 90s was inspired by the 70s, the 2015s was inspired by the 90s, so it is only natural for runaway looks today to bring back streetwear from the 2000s. While one might argue that reviving trends from the past signifies a lack of innovation among designers today, it is simply impossible to ignore the demand from a widespread group of youngsters that define today’s culture. The idea here is to hit the “nostalgia store”, pick some trends and give it a modern twist, and why not when it sells. It has become a great tool for many fashion houses and fast fashion chains to market these “throwback” trends to attract the thriving and most impressionable minds of the young. However, many trends from 2000s will be buried for good, such as the dress on top of jeans trend. It is also in Gen Z culture to make comical/pop culture references to the early 2000s, this has given rise to a new aesthetic or the new “cool” and this coupled with content creators on media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Tik tok and Pinterest have been the main drivers of this trend to grow. Designer brands like Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton have included these trends in their collections since 2019 and many fast fashion brands like H&M, Yesstyle, Missguided and Forever 21 have also made them available for a younger audience. Headbands inspired from Blair Waldorf of The Gossip Girl, cropped cardigans, low-rise denim (yes the dreadful low rise denim), monochromatic outfits, square toe heels, blingy textures and pastel colours are some trends that will be making a comeback.