I wanted to write a treatise on this decade in review, however it seemed all so repetitive so I will touch on the things that I found most interesting that happened in fashion over the past decade. Here is this decade in review.
A decade of self-promotion:
This was the decade of self-promotion, made very easy by the app, Instagram. Most individuals these days have a smart phone so they can choose the most perfect aspects of their life to curate on the app. Along the way, everyone, I mean everyone became some sort of an expert. And, if they weren’t promoting themselves personally its either that they are some sort of motivational guru, Girlboss, or entrepreneur trying to sell you a scam.
The rise of the Influencer:
With the democratization of fashion, people no longer needed to rely on fashion magazines to dictate the trends. All they had to do, was rely on their favorite influencer to tell them what is trending. It’s great that influencers are able to monetize their influence however I believe that in the process they lost their authenticity and creativity along the way. I say inauthentic because most of these influencers can be bought. They end up hawking products that they themselves don’t use. I’ve also noticed a loss of creativity. What initially attracted me to blogs was the creators had their own incredible sense of style. Unfortunately, everyone now looks the same. Brands gift or sponsor the same items and most creators feel they have to tone down their style in order to appeal to more people and gain more followers.
Normalization of luxury fashion:
After the economic recession, it appears that the consumer has once again returned to conspicuous consumption. This decade influencers, inundated us with all kinds of luxury goods. Influencer culture has been financially rewarding to content creators and their bigger paychecks have led to “flex culture” on social media. By “flex”, I mean showing off. What better way for the nouveau riche to show off their recently acquired wealth than by spending it on luxury goods.
Individuality as a trend
When I first started my fashion journey all those years ago, I liked to stand out. My close was built on clothes that I felt were unique as well as timeless. The kind of piece someone else might not necessarily think to buy or even better wouldn’t be brave enough to wear or so I thought. But the world has finally caught on, and indivduality has become a trend. With the democratization of fashion, everyone wants to stand out. Where else can you spot this other than on the street style set, everyone wants to dress crazier than the next person and clothes don’t match anymore. In the past couple years, I even noticed an uptick in unconventional dress styles on retail. The consumer now demands exclusivity, which has contributed to the rise of the independent fashion designer.
The growth of the circular economy
Secondhand shopping went mainstream this decade. The stigma often associated with wearing secondhand clothing has drastically decreased and consumers are finally proud to say that they buy used clothing. Sustainability is now a fashion industry buzz-word ushering in the growth of the circular economy. If you don’t have the patience to peruse your local thrift stores, online marketplaces such as The RealReal, Poshmark or Thread-up make it easy for you. There are also great places to get rid of your gently used clothing for some money rather than donating to a thrift store.
Gratitude
I hope you enjoyed reading my mini decade in review. The past ten years flew right by and I survived it despite all the curveballs that life threw me. Thank God that I made it. I’m not sure exactly what this new year will bring for me but I’m very hopeful that this new decade would be much better. Thank you so much lovely readers for reading my blog posts this year, I really appreciate it. I’ll be back next year, I promise. I wish you a Happy New Year full of prosperity.
