As Paris Hilton once said, ‘Skirts should be the size of a belt… life’s short, take risks.’ The questionable fashion of the 2000s has become infamous for its boundary-pushing and experimental nature, with global superstars strutting the runways in double denim; dangerously low-rise jeans and lots of layering. So why is Gen Z so obsessed with the re-emergence of 2000s fashion?
Y2K. A term coined after the millennium bug of the year 2000 has been adopted by the Gen Z community, to be synonymous with 2000s fashion, but why is Y2K fashion back on the table? This phenomenon can be perfectly explained through the evidential cyclicality of fashion trends, with significant research showing notable historical continuity in fashion crazes. Laver's Law chronologically described fashion as it is introduced, accepted, rejected and eventually considered 'beautiful' 150 years after it was first considered current fashion. However, in the case of Y2K, Laver's Law is negated, as today’s teens have swiftly acquired a taste for the daring and, at times, gaudy essence of Y2K fashion, only a short 20 years after its initial emergence. Buy why is Y2K back with a vengeance? Perhaps, the trend is nostalgia-fuelled. Every generation faces new struggles, but the technological advances of the 2010s, with the unprecedented introduction of social media, is evidence for the desperate longings of Gen Z to revert to a simpler, less modernised upbringing that is not tainted by online beauty standards, or the fear of cancel culture. Gen Z's incorporation of early 2000s fashion into their contemporary outfits shows a clear correlation with this desperation for fashion to be reminiscent of a nostalgia for the past and a simultaneous escapist future.
Gucci, Chanel, Balenciaga. In these changing times, many designers have been quick to hop on the bandwagon of the revival of Y2K fashion, with runways being eerily reminiscent of the 2000s. Many highly influential brands of today have shown nostalgic inspirations from the 2000s, with Marc Jacobs developing the new brand, ‘Heaven' a collection celebrating the teenage experimentations of Y2K fashion; the re-emergence of dominant Y2K brand, Juicy Couture in 2021 and the collaboration of retail superstar, Urban Outfitters with 2000s brands: True Religion and Ed Hardy.
So, how has the rise of Y2K impacted the media of today? Well, it is undeniable that the resurrection of Y2K has been rapidly recognised as a marvel for the media, with entertainment giants like Netflix and Disney being quick to follow in the footsteps of Gen Zs hooked onto the weird and wonderful quintessence of Y2K fashion, with iconic movies from the 2000s being regularly boosted on the streaming sites under 'nostalgia' categories, providing endless vaults of creative fashion inspiration for the eager Gen Zs to utilise in their daily outfits. For the teens of today, film characters such as Regina George of Mean Girls and Elle Woods of Legally Blonde, have become iconic fashion legends donning bedazzled graphic tees with ludicrous statements, teeny-tiny bags and preposterous amounts of pink!
But is Y2K here to stay? Unfortunately, it is evident that social media has led to the over-saturation of fashion trends, with Gen Zs becoming gripped by the ever-changing styles of beauty influencers, and following suit of the viral sensation of Y2K, with the TikTok hashtag of ‘#Y2K‘ gathering a staggering 28.9 billion views. Stephen King once stated that, "Sooner or later, everything old is new again”; the influence of the Y2K movement on today’s fashion has been monumental, though you can't help but question its expiration date and how long will it be before the next trend takes its iconic title?