Note to editor: Hiya, there may be a need to change the title because I only do a small section of a mini rundown of microtrends. I wanted to write a little more about microtrends in our society and how they have impacted us if that’s ok!
the era of microtrends
Every year there seems to be more and more microtrends. As the trend cycle speeds up significantly in todayās fast-paced fashion industry, whatās āinā or āoutā changes quicker than itās possible to keep up! We used to have defining decades of what was considered to be vogue; feminine glamour in the 50s, the iconic power dressing of the 80s, rebellious grunge styling in the 90s. Now it seems more like the āweekliesā ā or at this rate, some may even say the ādailiesā of when an array of trends are presented to us. The short-lived popularity of certain items, accessories or even entire aesthetics are only given a brief moment in the spotlight before being forgotten and dumped in the ever-growing waste bin of neglected trends. In the fashion landscape, it goes without saying that we are in the era of microtrends.
Microtrends are a way of styling certain clothing pieces and accessories that eventually get coined as an overarching aesthetic or ācoreā. You do not have to be chronically online to have heard of some of these pre-existing microtrends; the office siren aesthetic characterised by Bayonetta glasses and pinstripe blazers, āmob wifeā core as women don fur coats and flashy jewellery, even ātomato girl summerā and the list goes on. Everything seems to be able to end in ā-coreā nowadays, but why is it that we have a growing rate of ever-changing trends?
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA
In order to satiate our generationās constant need for something new and exciting, the media has popularised certain trends in a way which best grabs our attention, especially to cater to a consumer-driven hoard hunting for the ānext best thingā.
Microtrends have entered the fashion zeitgeist to suit our societyās continually diversifying tastes, whether this is in the form of controversial accessories or kitschy aesthetics, social media has no doubt amplified these trend cycles. Controlled by the algorithm, microtrends are propelled by their virality and targets us in a way that is hard for our consumer mindsets to resist. Even if you do not give in to the buying, it can still be entertaining to watch some of these ridiculous trends go by, ultimately fuelling its virality on social media platforms.
The result of this? A quick turnover in trends to satisfy our needy desires of searching for unique ways to style ourselves. Ironically, the very fact that these microtrends dominate mainstream fashion shows that they are anything but unique. Yet, it is hard to avoid the bombardment of microtrends infesting our feeds every day. The unsustainable nature of microtrends has been exacerbated by a multitude of fashion influencers. By promoting different products as part of their image, they have commercialised trends in a way that is irresistible to hyper consumerism. Brand deals and ads highlight the products you need to achieve a certain aesthetic or ācoreā, one purchase here and another one there and before you know it, you have given into the microtrend in its entirety (that will inevitably be declared āout-of-trendā the next moment).
A MINI RUNDOWN OF 2025 MICROTRENDS
A look into some of 2025’s microtrends can give us some insight on the plethora of micro-subcultures that just keep generating even when you think there couldnāt be anymore. The fisherman aesthetic fittingly emerged in the beginning of summer. Linked to the preceding āsailor/navy-coreā, wearing cable-knit sweaters, boat shoes, capris and striped patterns rode the wave to popularity as many embraced a laid-back nautical look. From this, we went to the āsardine girlā trend (straight from fishermen to fish ā no one is safe!), wherein glitter, sheer textures, sequined colours inspired by the fish tins themselves were popularised.
Are there timeless pieces hidden behind some of these absurdly-named aesthetics? Or is it merely a guiding themed framework for how we can dress? Take gorpcore for example, also emerging last year as āclimbers/hikersā coreā, designed for practicality and extreme weather conditions (as I look out my window now into the Bristol rain, perhaps I may feed into this). There may be a potential chance that these microtrends are just a way in which we can encapsulate different styles, no matter how silly sounding they are, different elements within these aesthetics do prove to have some value.
‘BEING SUSTAINABLE-CORE’
Serving as inspiration, these microtrends may help with forming our identities as we personalise our style. It can be overwhelming as we exhaust the influx of choices; however, this does mean we get to pick and mix our favourite aspects of the ā-coreāsā we are exposed to. Even if it is at the risk of appearing as some kind of āmicro-trend final bossā, deriving our style from the media will always be a useful resource, and if used correctly, creates a space that allows our fashion choices to flourish creatively. Microtrends are not inherently damaging; rather, it is the not-thinking-before-buying that becomes unsustainable. Choosing to utilise microtrends in a sustainable way can mean using them as a jumpstart for curating your own personal style. Ā