Microtrends and their Negative Impacts on Creativity

Keeping up with the seemingly demanding expectations of the fashion world feels nearly impossible for the average creative.

Keeping up with the seemingly demanding expectations of the fashion world feels nearly impossible for the average creative.

Keeping up with the seemingly demanding expectations of the fashion world feels nearly impossible for the average creative. Accurately titled “microtrends” are known as brief, successful trends that profit off of the consumerist nature of the fashion industry through influencers and short-lived media spotlight. While the significance of self-expression is at an all-time high today, the rapid succession of trend cycles on social media is both depleting originality and disrupting attempts at ethical consumption.

Before the days in which social media ran supreme, trend cycles in the fashion world ran a much slower course. These often lasted, declined, then revived in periods of around twenty years each— coincidentally, the average time for new generations to find spotlight. Generations prior to Gen Z, however, relied on tabloid reportings and celebrity red carpets, whereas social media now gives trends their 15 seconds of fame.

In spotlighting trends that last from as little as a month to at most a year, active consumers are told what to do rather than discovering their own likes and dislikes when it comes to dressing. This leads to a monotonous picture of “fashion” existing in Instagram’s famous apparel, Amazon’s bestsellers, and TikTok’s top trending list. These styles, whilst being short-lived themselves, have overlapping productions, giving those who follow them little to no time to develop their own sense of personal style.

Microtrends often originate from better-known brands, only to be quickly and cheaply reproduced (e.g. the Vivienne Westwood pearl choker), contributing deeper to the overconsumption issue sweeping the Western World. Reproductions pushed by fast fashion brands are created in mass quantities to meet consumer demands, while the unsold excess fills up landfills. The speed at which these pieces are manufactured leads to the clothing itself physically lasting as long as the trend. If and when donated to thrift stores, the shops find that they are unable to handle the overflow of pieces. Textiles wind up in landfills, and the cheap fabrics’ effect on the planet will be around for much longer.

Shopping at thrift stores offer price equivalents, yet environmentally conscious alternatives to allowing microtrends to rule one’s wardrobe. Rather than purchasing on impulse, the time it takes for these trends to accumulate at the thrift demands that buyers consider whether or not they still want said trend.

When debating microtrends and fast fashion, it must be acknowledged that shopping under ethically sourced brands is not realistic for every consumer. Whether it is due to price constraints or noninclusive sizing, it’s merely illogical to expect the average person to be able to shop ethically on a daily basis. Additionally, while thrifting is a projectable alternative, the working class which these shops were originally made for, do not often have time to hunt for the perfect piece. Fast fashion is not evil; if buyers choose pieces that will remain in their wardrobe, and shop minimally from known fast fashion brands, they cause less harm. The overconsumption issue arises when large orders are made monthly to seize an ever-changing aesthetic.

Creatives feel as though the fashion world is no longer including them. High-fashion brands are aware of this frightening change in the industry, as well. Unlike microtrends, which merely play off of existing trends, runway fashion must set the trend. High-fashion people are able to use this depletion of originality to their advantage by exploring ways to evolve creatively, maintaining the imagination and innovation which the fashion world is ultimately defined by. Following trends can be more detrimental than it seems. Rather than conforming to brief aesthetics, developing one's own sense of style is a staple to any creative’s toolkit. In one of the most original eras, it should only make sense to stand out in a crowd.

Sophia Marzi — October 6th, 2022