The Fashion Clockwork
One of the hardest challenges in the 21st century seems to be being able to commit to anything, from relationships, jobs, labels and… also clothes. Fashion has been losing its artistic purposes as consumers keep on demanding for fast and disposable pieces of clothing devoid of durability and meaning, whereas cheap labor eagerly provides for this hunger by duping the intellectual work of designers.
What is known as “retail therapy” is nothing else but the satisfaction of cheap and immediate desires that have nothing to do with the true value a piece of clothing can incorporate in itself. Apparel is being used to gain a superficial sense of identity and it’s deemed as good lasting only until the next shopping spree.
Most brands now focus on special collections and collaborations every few months to keep themselves at the top of fashion game to the point that one has to wonder whether seasonal collections still count for anything.
In this climate, fashion trends come and go at an incredible speed and the 20 year cycle of fashion trends no longer seems plausible.
Fashion trends have followed a cyclical pattern that has been working like clockwork up until now, meaning major shifts in consumer taste are spread in the span of roughly 15 to 20 years. Trends come and go all the time.
Usually the pattern is at it follows:
1. Germination
A new idea is translated into a style which slowly enters the industry having not yet reached ubiquitous acceptance. Production cost is very high and risky, however thanks to the small scale viability designers have a lot of freedom to experiment.
2. Rise in popularity
Demand from consumers starts growing as the style gets more known but still remains somehow niche, usually due to price and limited supply.
Imitation and adaptation of the same style from different brands emerges, usually at a lower price.
3. Peak
Blunt knock-offs of said style are mass-produced at much lower prices after it has received mass acceptance. Studies and forecasts on the style are made to gauge consumer behavior.
4. Decline
Oversaturation of the same style creates disinterest and price drop.
5. Out of fashion
New trend begins to emerge, the previous style is considered obsolete.
Denim has become a clothing staple in most people’s wardrobe for more than a century and it’s especially with this piece of clothing that it’s easy to see the 20 year trend cycle in the works.
Different denim cuts and shapes are constantly either in or out of fashion; for instance, in the 60s and 80s straight leg cuffed jeans were the main style for men, while for women the 70s were all about high rise flare and embroidered jeans which were brought back in the 90s as low rise flare jeans.
Trends catch the public eye thanks to runway shows, but their birth actually starts from manufacturing: manufacturers directly manipulate trends so that they can produce and sell large quantities of textiles and other clothing building blocks. Each manufacturing category (clothes, interiors, beauty) is supported by a range of experts who develop and push seasonal trends in the form of fabric, color or shape.
Research and design development by CSM graduate Eva Neuburger for Balenciaga: Transmissions, Heritage and New Creation in 2018. (Via 1granary).
Within the established fashion industry, trends never occur by chance. They are the final product of careful calculations that take place in every corner of the industry, from forecasting to manufacturing to production.
Recurring fashion trends are each time a WIP. They evolve with time through innovation, experimentation, and reinterpretation. At first glance it might seem like designers are getting lazy by simply re-proposing old designs that have been proved to be successful; but after taking a closer look, one would find that these trends are time capsules with distinct narratives each time according to the social climate of the moment.
The comeback of an item that was once popular during a past decade is crafted again through reinvention rather than simple recycling: apparel is constantly being improved thanks to advancements in technology – different fabrics, enticing silhouettes, new details.
Nostalgia also works wonders in the re-discovery of pivotal fashion moments. For instance, the rebirth of Y2K was brought up by the feeling of nostalgia after two decades. This time frame has allowed the new generation to re-discover what was immediately before them without having ever experienced that first-hand: both older and younger generations look at the past as an archive – regardless of whether they physically belonged to it or not.
Trend cycles never happen in an era of complete isolation but they rather build and interconnect on the history of fashion one after another. A new trend is never the exact replica of an era or a decade since there are different identities and subcultures operating outside of the mainstream that revisit them, often anticipating and building the tension that will eventually lead to the renewed breakthrough of fashion trends in the mainstream.
Charlotte Knowels reworks mesh fabrics as already seen in the 90s. (Via 1granary).
However, the 20-year fashion cycle is getting shorter and shorter as trends no longer depend on eras but rather on standalone items. Nowadays, trends are about pushing just one product.
A micro trend is a singular item that blows up fast only to be forgotten as quickly.
This phenomenon relies on the aesthetic segmentation driven by social media algorithms that allows the birth of niche aesthetics one can easily get to align themselves to. And what better way to fully participate if not by buying fashion’s latest hot item as a badge of belonging?
La Manso ring blew up earlier this year along with DIY clay rings that can be seen all over social medias.
Since the life cycle of a fashion trend is tightening and condensing, the period of time between a trend’s appearance and disappearance is faster than ever. From introduction and adoption to peak and eventual rejection, a trend can be around for as little as a single season, or even a month.
“ARE ACTUAL TRENDS MOVING FASTER THAN EVER DUE TO FASHION OVERCONSUMPTION?
IN THE HIGH FASHION INDUSTRY, TRENDS AREN’T MOVING AS FAST.
THE TIME TO CREATE A COLLECTION TAKES UP TO 9 MONTHS JUST LIKE BEFORE.”