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Regardless of the media platform you choose to consume, the term “micro-trend” has probably crossed your news feed. The movement of micro-trend rose in popularity during the pandemic mostly on Tik Tok. Pre-pandemic fashion consumers relied heavily on designer brands and runways to showcase what will rise in trend in the coming season, stated Allison Bushong from the Daily Bruin. However, as Tik Tok gained popularity many fashion creators would tag certain curated looks with a “micro-trend”. From mob wife aesthetic to coastal cowgirl to coquette, micro trends have dominated the fashion landscape for the past few years.
However, a new development has disrupted the micro trend cycle: IRL (In Real Life). According to EDITED, micro trends have oversaturated the trend cycle. As seen in past fashion seasons, many brands would jump quickly to the current micro trend to match what was seen on celebrity’s social media platforms, and individual Tik Tok creators. This oversaturation of the landscape has caused the quickly climbing micro trend cycle to vanish as quickly as it appeared. EDITED stated, “74% of Gen Z is seeking out IRL experiences over digital, reflecting the shift away from buying viral items purely for content to emphasize pieces with offline IYKYK appeal,”. Many Gen Z individuals have leaned into their own personal style. Instead of garnering a specific overall aesthetic the consumer will grab elements from the specific aesthetics that flow into their own style.
In addition to Gen Z consumers favoring an “IRL” experience, many also look towards brands and trends that offer long-lasting elevated products, shared Andrea Sacal from HYPEBEAST. This stems from the market saturation of unsustainable fast fashion brands’ efforts to keep up with the extreme fluctuations of the micro-trend cycle. Gen Z now will deep dive into the garment materials and likely choose a brand that aligns with their values vs. a current trend. Julia Hobb from British Vogue spoke about how the tides have turned and how “less ‘cores’ are making their way from TikTok feeds to fashion publications, and the fashion crowd is wondering whether the coolest thing to do is not to trend at all?”.
Consumers will trust their favorite creators via Tik Tok to share their favorite ‘pieces’, which many will have linked to Tik Tok shop. Creating a seamless buying experience of “trusted review to purchase” as Tik Tok shop has grown to a more trusted sales channel. This shift has also seen an emergence of designer brands leaning back into their own personal style and allowing individuals to pick and choose rather than lean into the quickly fading micro-trend cycle. Brands can utilize SKYPAD to track the emergence of their own ‘core’ trends/ ‘back to basics’ week over week rather than heavily focusing on grabbing inspiration from the dying micro-trend cycle. However, if a brand does choose to participate in a trend, just as Gen Z is taking elements, they can incorporate this into their existing DNA with their best-selling styles, colors, or fabrics.
Sources:
https://hypebeast.com/2024/8/microtrends-edited-feature-info
https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/fashion/did-micro-trends-kill-the-trend-cycle
https://dailybruin.com/2024/02/19/opinion-microtrends-are-out-sustainable-fashion-is-in-this-season