September — NYFW SS 25 TAC
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Trends or Tribute: Fashion's Obsession with Nostalgia and the Return of the Y2K Dream”
By Gloria Mbile
After taking over runways and flooding our Instagram feeds, Y2K fashion has now taken to the streets. A quick glance around, and you'll spot someone rocking low-rise jeans with a baby tee and a pair of wedge sneakers straight out of Isabel Marant’s catalog.
In the quest to channel Bella Hadid’s effortless vibe, even those who once mocked the early 2000s fashion have no choice but to join the bandwagon. Fashion houses like Miu Miu and Blumarine have jumped in too, rolling out collections featuring all the Y2K essentials—microskirts, butterfly motifs, bedazzled accessories, and rhinestone-encrusted belts. The return of these nostalgic pieces reminds us that this era was all about maximalism and playful excess.
But it’s not just about fashion trends. Gen Z owes a huge chunk of its cultural references to the 2000s. You can’t scroll through TikTok without stumbling upon a compilation of iconic pop culture moments—like Kim Kardashian snapping a selfie while her sister heads to jail. Beyond romanticizing an era we barely remember, we’ve been blessed with the comeback of brands like Juicy Couture, giving us all a chance to live our Paris Hilton fantasy, or at least give it a try. And of course, adding to that some PinkPantheress playing in our ears just to set the mood.
Maybe it’s the pandemic that hit our dear planet in 2020 that has us retreating to Y2K as an escape? Or maybe it’s because it’s a time we almost experienced, and we feel a weird sense of connection to it. Or, it could just be because thrifting boomed, making those Y2K pieces easier to access.
I don’t have the answer, and frankly, neither do you. But one thing’s for sure: you better hop on the Y2K train before it leaves the station. Apparently, it only comes around every 20 years.