In a pre-pandemic world, you would wander the streets and look at window displays that would show exactly what trends are ‘in’ for Spring/Summer.
In our new-found reality, the pandemic and the climate crisis are changing the way we think about trends.
Pastels are in, stripes are out, double denim is in and the list goes on. Even if you don’t follow trends, you will subconsciously be aware of the trends that designers and influencers are putting on the fashion map.
The spring ’21 collection was more future-oriented than ever as it was a prediction of who we want to be and what we want to look like when we finally come out of lockdown.
This led to a shift in consumer habits; people were re-wearing their items more than ever before and the need for the latest luxury ‘it’ item seemed futile.
Not only because of the pandemic but also the climate crisis, people are more thoughtful when purchasing clothes and tend to now invest in timeless, sustainable pieces that are of better quality.
For some, that meant refining their style and going back to basics. However, for others, it meant closely following fashion and being influenced to buy more during lockdown because of platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, where we constantly see clothing haul videos of what new trends are in.
Mitchell Goudie, Chair of DCUStyle, believes that while the current climate can make room for personal style refinement, we are missing the external elements that bring life, context and meaning to our clothing.
“A part of what makes fashion so great is the exposure of one aesthetic with another, merging the two and experimentation. That hasn’t really been happening, so whilst we can consider it refinement in one sense, in another it is a lack of innovation and experimentation.”
“I tend to favour the latter argument given that fashion, much like personal identity, is contextualised by the things that surround it to give it meaning and significance,” he added.
While many of us have waved trends goodbye and instead settled for the comfort of athleisure, the colour and vitality that accompanies spring can remind us to get back in touch with our own personal style.
So, although many might be passing the trends for this year, it doesn’t mean that we have to stay detached from fashion, but simply explore and try something different.
We all need a little newness from time to time, but we need to be more thoughtful. Rather than buying something just because everyone has it or it’s seen as ‘cool’ we now need to look at the bigger picture and start to care more about our clothes and their environmental cost.
Author: Kinga Piotrowska
Image Credit: Creativecomms