I will shamelessly admit to loving trends. Cast as a villain in some world-views, they can be seen simply as bait for consumers to spend, spend, spend, contributing to overconsumption and the "influencer" era has done nothing to improve that narrative. But to me, it's less complicated. Trends are a mark of time. A way to solidify or define our length of space in the physical world. A description, sometimes even a prescription. Historically, trends not only in fashion, but writing, advertising, the auto industry, art and more are parallel to happenings around the world. That might be common sense to some, or maybe obvious in certain circumstances, but the wannabe intellectual in me wants to explore even the smallest detail of modern trends.
It's hard to be original in the current timeline. Trends are naturally cyclical and it seems we've made the trip around at least once - probably a lot more - if the intervals are 20-30 years. However predictable we are in that sense, officially entering the age of AI seems to have thrown gas on a kindling fire. Alongside cultural phenomenons like Stranger Things and Abercrombie re-opening in malls, we seem to be collectively saying... I'm still human, I still want to touch and experience something real.
How natural it is to satisfy our sense of touch. Even my son, receiving a CD Player for Christmas, loves tinkering with the buttons, - pushing, pulling, turning - while simultaneously being visually satisfied with red lights indicating power and numerical tracks. Then to have his ears awarded with mom's Green Day album or a recognizable voice narrating morning traffic.
Then there is pop culture. I can't help but wonder if Lana Del Rey meeting her man the old-fashioned way sparks something for people. For whatever reason, we rely heavily on celebrity relationships to lean against and the fandom for Lana + Jeremy is palpable. Like, even if the lifestyle is out of reach, the way they met, where they live and what he does is more tangible to the masses. There's something real about it. Way more-so than a relationship built by publicists or wealthy social circles. And I promise, there's a point here.
A shift into maximalism
Maximalism, defined (in the arts) is "an aesthetic characterized by excess and abundance, serving as a reaction against minimalism." Pay attention. Go into Target and notice the straight lines of design phasing into organic shapes - the lamp shades, of all things, piqued my curiosity. The mass-produced art migrating from linear graphics to soft-edged landscapes. Notice your favorite influencer building a new house using dark-toned wallpaper and textured tile versus the usual white on white we've come to know. Notice how much you love it? Notice the runways and red carpets filled with more color, more accessories, more detail.
One could argue, this is simply the natural cycle of trends. As we leave the "sad beige" (minimalism) life behind that followed the Trading Spaces-type world of colorful drip millennials couldn't wait to remove themselves from, that quite literally matches the definition. One could argue, it's just time to move on.
But with millennial buying power increasing by the year, there might be more to the story. The so-called "hero generation" of our time, being the last to experience childhood without technology ruling daily lives, they (we) are raising kids, building careers and are dominant enough for the economy to notice where and how the money is spent. If millennials are the last generation to remember life before constant digital mediation, it makes sense that we’re drawn to texture, color, and analog experiences - i.e. meeting your future husband on an alligator tour.
Some of the biggest trends forecasted for 2026 and beyond revolve around the idea of maximalism. I can speak for the fashion world most fluently. We're seeing a revival of color, no doubt, which Sabado De Sarno's rossa ancora for Gucci led the way for in 2023. Looking forward? Brooches, belts, scarves, layering, bag charms, color mixing, prints, exaggerated silhouettes. And that's probably the tip of the iceberg.
Circling back to AI - a theory, at least
We've officially reached an era regular folks thought only belonged on the big screen. A recent online video has made it look like I, Robot is the next normal in San Francisco. ChatGPT can be bred to interact in very personalized ways. Do college kids even write their own papers? Vogue was criticized for printing the first advertisement using AI models who absolutely looked real, albeit suspiciously flawless.
Our overall perception of reality is being completely blurred among a computer generated world. The line between human-made and machine-made is dissolving. And that's the part I find interesting as we watch trends gravitate back to what feels like sitting in grandma's house playing dominos. A feeling millennials may be the last to vividly remember. A culmination of sensory presence that seems harder to replicate these days.
We're collectively craving reality, all of a sudden (maybe) wanting things to slow down even though it's definitely too late. The screens have become too smooth and predictable, we want to look at brooches with jagged edges and handbags in bright hues. The sterile vision of a tech-lead future makes our nervous system scream for uncomfortable heels simply to feel something and ground us in the world.
While this comes off a bit bleak, let's consider how beautiful it is for one world to fight against the other - not proving one is better, but more proof they should, and could, coexist. Technology is built for simplicity, ease, speed. Life is not. And whether knowingly or not, I do believe humans are at a moment of realization.
Fashion doesn't have to be, and probably isn't in most cases, this deep, but I've always believed in its ability to shed light on subliminal currents of society. We've always understood it as the industry to set standards for the consumer. A sense of "trickle-down". Doesn't this theory beg to differ though... are they influencing us, or are we influencing them?