2024 saw a lot of trends come and go. As ever, the Tiktok-fuelled hyperfixations on products, aesthetics and ‘cores’ continued to influence what people were buying and wearing. But, 2024 seems to have signaled a decline in the cyclical and chronically online overconsumption that has dominated the fashion world since 2020.
Whilst we saw the rise and fall of specific aesthetics like ‘mob wife’, ‘clean girl’ and ‘blokette’, the consensus points towards embracing individual style and letting fashion trends adapt to what we’re already wearing. 2024 seems to have returned the fashion world to the pre-TikTok circulation of trends based on colours, fabrics and silhouettes that people could adapt to their own style, instead of ‘cores’ or specific fast fashion products. So, here’s a run-down of what came and went in 2024, and what is staying for the new year.
This year admittedly had its fair share of short-cycle trending aesthetics. One of the earliest was the ‘mob-wife’ aesthetic, featuring short fur coats and bright red lipstick and was particularly utilised by fast fashion brands selling poorly-made faux fur jackets. The short span of this trend was indicative of the general attitude this year – we’re tired of these specific and niche aesthetics. But, unlike previous years, there were longer-lasting effects of the short-lived styles that did the rounds on the Internet.
Coming out of this circulation of glamorous and grungy styles like ‘rockstar girlfriend’ or ‘mob wife’, leopard print was one of the most distinct trends of the year. Leopard print seemed to come in all forms, from baggy jeans to cardigans– if it had leopard print, it was fashionable this year, at least in the world of influencers.
Niche fashion trends having longer lasting effects is definitely a good thing in my books – in the case of the ‘mob wife’ aesthetic, the fur coat and leopard print combination is relatively easy to buy second-hand and is so adaptable to different styles. There were definitely some trends this year that were less universal, like the Pinterest bloomer shorts and cowboy boots, but arguably we saw less of this than in previous years. This is a good sign for the coming year – we definitely don’t need any more trends influencing people to buy a ridiculously specific item from Shein that they will inevitably throw away when everyone has been wearing that piece to absolute death.
This year saw the decline of the cyber-Y2K aesthetic, but not to worry–2000s aesthetics are definitely sticking around for the new year. But, following the 20 year trend cycle theory as we enter the second half of the 2020s, I think we’ll see the later 2000s and early 2010s entering mainstream style, at least on the Internet – think the costuming in shows and movies like Pretty Little Liars, Jennifer’s Body, Twilight, and Skins. We’ve already seen a surge in terms like ‘office siren’ and ‘frazzled English woman’ to describe the late 2000s rom-com character looks which will undoubtedly intensify in the new year. The classic late 2000s rectangle glasses and chunky charm jewellery which gained in popularity last autumn are sticking around, and we might even see the revival of low rise skinny jeans (shock!).
The most ‘in’ thing this year, however, should absolutely be individual style. This isn’t to say that fashion trends are bad – they are a useful way of exploring what you do and don’t like. However, the niche aesthetics and continuous cycle of micro-trends are tiring and have been killing mainstream fashion. The perpetuation of fast fashion also has huge environmental and humanitarian problems, with the growth of on-demand fashion companies exploiting workers, overproducing and contributing to the expansion of landfill clothing waste. The ever-changing nature of trend cycles facilitates this as it means new styles of clothing are constantly being made and discarded – in the last 20 years, the number of times an item is worn before being thrown away has reduced by 40%.
Unfortunately, the fast-fashion problem isn’t going away anytime soon. However, 2024 signalled a shift toward a fashion landscape significantly less dominated by micro-trends, ‘cores’, and specific pieces whose popularity doesn’t outlive the Internet’s short attention span. The trends we saw towards the end of the year mostly consisted of universal elements like cherry red, animal print, and sheer materials. This year, I will be fully embracing fashion trends that involve colours, silhouettes and fabrics which can be easily incorporated into your wardrobe without the short-attention-span Internet phenomenon of buying into a niche aesthetic.