Can The Trendverse Sustain Its Breakneck Pace Much Longer?

Can the trendverse sustain its breakneck pace much longer? Three generations of women in fashion tell us about their relationship with trends as we contemplate alternatives for the year ahead

- Nida Naeem

The day I got on a call with fashion editor Sujata Assomull to discuss the fleeting nature of modern-day trends was the day when the world (or at least the fashion fraternity) was reeling from the news of Vivienne Westwood’s demise. “Buy less, choose well, make it last,” she had said, which was also the approach Assomull took when cutting teeth in the industry. “With limited pocket money, we had to learn to buy pieces that lasted longer. It felt so special to have your first pair of adult-looking clothes that you really savoured them. I don’t think that there is that feeling of coming-of-age anymore,” she shares.

WE’RE SO COREPILLED

This was, of course, more than 20 years ago, and a lot has changed since then: Trend cycles have gotten shorter, and young people now have much more access to money, and consequently, to more clothes. These clothes are often purchased, intentionally or unintentionally, to fit into certain style categories. Subcultures, cores, aesthetics, micro-trends – no matter what you call them – there always seems to be an overwhelming volume of them. It started with normcore, went mainstream with cottagecore, and now, at the beginning of 2023, we’ve run through a whole barrage of them, from Barbiecore and ballet core to the revival of twee and indie sleaze.

Of course, people have always had varying styles, but the common thread running through these algorithm-fuelled trends is the dizzying speed at which they emerge and disappear.