Micro trends: The line between expression and fast fashion
Micro trends are short lived trends that are being proliferated by social media to consumers.
Often packaged as a ‘core’ these choices often come and go in a very fast manner. In retrospect, these decisions actually affect us, whether individually or as a society. It comes with both positives and negatives that we’ll discuss further down the line.
The Positives
Micro trends are evolving every period of time or so. This allows people to explore more things and to learn more about what they like at a certain point in their lives. Picking an ‘aesthetic’ is certainly fun, and it makes it to where the person doing it expresses themselves even more.
A person’s lifestyle can also be directly affected by the trend they choose to participate in. They get to adapt habits that can be good for them and make them feel better about themselves.
On the Flip Side…
TikTok is a main contributor in letting micro trends penetrate the society. With its fast paced content, there is way more opportunity for people to see the world. With all that said, viewers are much more exposed to adapting other people’s style and begin labeling it as an identity.
‘Aesthetics’ such as Coquette, Old Money, Mob Wife, Office Siren, Blokecore, can be vessels of micro trends. The do so in a way that you need to dress a certain way with similar pieces to be able to participate. As you see more content of ’-cores’, you get influenced by the way people market it as the new wave. Therefore, you now have the need to scratch that itch to join.
As much as it is a great point to make people become more expressive with micro trends, how are we so sure that we’re not just copy pasting each other’s style identity?
Rampant Consumerism
With how fast these trends are coming in-and-out, companies also need to adapt to consumer demand. We’re all aware about how fast fashion is highly unsustainable and toxic to the environment, but with a number of audiences wanting to jump from one aesthetic to another, fast fashion companies are the only ones that can provide cheap and rapid production of pieces.
Although in this day and age, quality is always sacrificed for quantity, especially with fast fashion. You buy a bunch of different items to join a trend that would presumably end in a few months or so, making the purchases irrelevant after a few uses.
So what can we do to enjoy said trends without causing harm to the environment? Admittedly, more sustainable slow fashion companies are pricier than fast fashion for those on a budget. An amazing alternative to buying fast fashion is buying in your local thrift store. It’s way cheaper, you get unique pieces for your wardrobe, and plus it’s very sustainable to shop second-hand!
