Are Viral Microtrends Losing Their Cool?

0:07Hello and welcome to The Debrief from the Business of Fashion where each week we delve into our most popular BOF professional stories with the correspondents who created them. I'm senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young. You've probably heard of at least one, maybe more of them, viral microtrends, the fast and often fleeting aesthetics that capture the imagination of young fashion consumers on platforms like TikTok. From cottagecore at the height of the pandemic to coastal grandmother and even succession-inspired quiet luxury, these microtrends define cultural moments, even if they only lasted a few months at a time.

0:45Lately, though, the rapid trend cycle is losing steam. Consumers seem over the churn and many are craving something more lasting. To break this all down, I'm joined today by Senior Editorial Associate Joan Kennedy. Hi, Joan. Welcome to the Debrief Podcast. Hi, Sheena. Thanks for having me to talk about one of my favorite topics. Oh, I know it is. So did my definition of microtrends suffice? How did I do? You did well. Microtrends, kind of as you highlighted, are these like really fast churn little aesthetics that pop up on social media. Often they're identified and defined by social media users.

1:24How to dress like an office siren. First, start with a fitted blouse, turtleneck or high neck tank. And then like the algorithm as everybody's talking about them kind of blows them up. Let's talk about the fishroom aesthetic that's making its way back this swing. And they really kind of attempt to categorize or define a sort of it moment often for young people. This is how the cool girls are wearing their football shirts this summer. You name some great examples. Others are like coquette core, any sleaze, clean girl, mob wife came up recently. Things like office siren and then even more vague ones like tomato girl.

2:01What is Tomato Girl, by the way? Some of these I can kind of picture when I hear office siren. I'm thinking of like someone in like a powerful suit, but maybe it's a little bit sexy or edgy. What is Tomato Girl? And do you partake in any of these trends? Oh my gosh. Well, Tomato Girl, it was this aesthetic that bubbled up, I guess it was in 2022 or 2023. Well, it's often hard to define where these things exactly start. But like one of the big movers for that trend was Hailey Bieber, like doing a very blushed up look. And so it like kind of had its roots in this like makeup look. But then it kind of, it also proliferated into fashion a little bit.

2:44I remember I had a friend who was going to a bachelorette party and one of the themes was red and she was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to lean into Tomato Girl and buy this tomato dress that's going viral. I don't typically participate in the microtrends, but I love to watch them. One of my favorites and one that I think maybe I have like unwittingly participated in was Sardine Core. Oh, no. I don't know how I feel about that one. It was a funny one because I it was not on my radar at all. And I was writing a story, I think, in 2023 again. And the source that I was speaking to brought it up. And she's like, oh, of course, Sardine Core, you know.

3:26And I was like, no, I do not know what you're talking about. But it was this aesthetic that popped up that was kind of, first it started presumably with this Claire V sardine shirt that went viral. And then you were saying like the Bottega Veneta bags with the sardines on them. And then there were like stod bags with sardines on them. And that one for me personally came as I was starting to eat a lot more tinned fish. So I was like, oh my God, has it gotten to me without me realizing it? That is funny. But another thing about the micro trends beyond just like these kind of overarching aesthetics is that they're often like really linked to products.

4:04Some of them are like just specifically centered around products. Like one of the first micro trends that we saw really pop up post pandemic was that there was this, I don't know if you're familiar with this, there was this house of sunny dress that everybody wanted and it was, everybody had to have it. And then the dupes followed and it was like, how's the sunny dress? How's the sunny dupes? And that was like probably one of the first ones that I remember. But also I think like this kind of Stanley Cup. Oh, gosh. Now you're speaking my language, but it's very true that when you talk about the micro trend, I'm looking for a distinction as a millennial myself between what drove trends in my era.

4:43Trends have always been around. But when I was coming up, it came from a fashion magazine, an editorial or from a movie or from a fashion show. And they moved much, much slower. Microtrends are similar in that they're coming from youth culture, which is very important for a long time. But also they're celebrity driven. And then there is a product. But it's sometimes a set of products. It's a whole aesthetic. Yeah, definitely. And it's one of those things where it's harder to trace where trends are coming from and why and all of that. Like often when it comes to microtrends, I think you would like, well, typically a lot of conversation takes place on TikTok, which I'm sure we'll dive a little bit more into.

5:29But I feel like a lot of the discussion about microtrends and their heyday was really about like, OK, we've identified this aesthetic. Now we're seeing it on the runway. Oh, my gosh, like that's legitimizing it. But also, given that there are products, a lot of times like retailers would often kind of like buy into this, front this, and like that helps really proliferate these. That's a good point because retailers are buying into trends that are coming off of platforms like TikTok as fleeting as they were and are. How much of a revenue driver do you think a micro trend was or is for retailers?

6:03Like, is it a fast fashion moment or luxury? You mentioned Bottega Veneto at the Sardine shirt. I guess they drove that trend, didn't have to buy into it. But what part of a strategy would a micro trend be for a retailer? And is it a revenue driver? They definitely provide these spurts of sales boosts for all sorts of retailers, particularly those who do cater to young consumers. But I think one of the important learnings of this whole thing is, number one, like when they started to pop up and we're constantly like two months and then we have a new one and it's on to the next. I think there was a lot of anxiety among retailers of like, do I have the right item at the right time?

6:39Is this something that I need to buy into? Like, should I ignore it? That sort of thing. And it was kind of like a merchandising question. But I think it's really become a marketing question. Like retailers have gotten a hold of how these things work. And it's kind of become a thing of if I have the product, I'll talk about it on social media in this way. And then that'll drive people to the site. or I will position things in store kind of around like Coastal Cowgirl, for example. I already had the products, but it's more just like a way of talking about them now. Absolutely. I remember I did a story with a retailer around the Cowgirl, several retailers, but around the Cowboy Carter, Beyonce's album and the Western wear getting like yet another boom.

7:21Like Western wear brands will tell you that it's always been important, but it's ridden some trend waves recently. And a particular retail CEO said that every time Cowboy Carter would make a stop in a certain town and their store was there, they would reorganize and re-merchandise to put all this like cowboy themed stuff at the front of the store. So the same merchandise, but just front and center aligned with Beyonce's tour dates and Cowboy Carter, which I thought was really interesting. I want to pivot a little bit to the fact that the landscape is changing. So we understand these trends. We understand why they're important to especially the young consumer and then why retailers and brands will want to buy into them.

7:59But something's changing. In your article, you spoke with Mia Jacobs, who's a fashion forecaster at the company WGSN. And she said, we were on the hamster wheel and we couldn't get off of it. And now that has changed. What is sparking the deceleration in the micro trend cycle? A lot of things are sparking this. It's funny because when I first started thinking about writing this article, I obviously do a lot of trend coverage and I'm kind of always watching and like evaluating these things and what they mean for brands and retailers. But at the end of the year, last year, I was kind of thinking about like, OK, like what have been like the defining Internet trends of this year?

8:36And there were very few that came to mind. And I started to realize like, oh, the ones, there are some that are that have stuck around from years past that are still very much relevant. I think, I hate to say it, quiet luxury is one of those. Well, that's one of the few that I think the luxury industry benefited from, or like brands with a distinct point of view, like the Roe and Kate, could really lean into that. And that has persisted. It was less trend anyway. Like it's not like sparkly cowboy hat for a season. It's truly has some of those staple moments there. Yeah, and there are some that I think probably started as, okay, this is not going to be a quiet luxury-esque thing, but it's going to be like a mermaid core type thing, like bloat core.

9:20But that has retailers talk about like, oh, like things that you would categorize under bloat core are still really relevant to our shoppers. That stuck around a surprisingly long time. There was this really interesting moment happening last year to me, and it felt like these things were kind of like slowing down all at once. And then I was like, well, when did this happen? And I think like the root causes are there are a lot of things like number one, these things really popped up and gained steam post pandemic, which was when a lot of young people were like coming out of hibernation, had extra savings because they hadn't been going out for years and also had a lot of extra time and were kind of like ready to explore.

10:03Like a lot of these things they felt like and still feel like people trying on these like different identities and kind of like there's like a sense of play to them. Right now we're seeing like a little bit more exhaustion around that. Like people are talking about like more than ever kind of just this viral turn and how wasteful it is and that sort of thing. But also at the same time kind of realizing, OK, like some of these trends were a little goofy, like some of them are like kind of quote unquote fake. I have one expert that social media expert that I talked to for the story said that he noticed that people have largely like started thinking about these micro trends as like they're almost like a meme, like they're like an abstraction.

10:48So there's a lot of awareness around that. And I think also just after this period of just experimentation and talking about it, young shoppers are really looking to grasp onto something solid right now. I spoke to Craig Bromers, who is American Eagle's chief marketing officer. And he told me a year ago, if you would have asked me all of these questions, I would have said that teens move at a lightning speed. But now, like, I'm not so sure. Their consumption habits like seem to be changing a little bit. And I think a big part of that is the reality of this environment that we're living in right now.

11:29People don't have as much savings. We're kind of like in this in the US in particular, this space of where there's record amounts of credit card debt. And there's just been like a lot of economic, social uncertainty, people widely pulling back, delaying purchase, that sort of thing. Were they also sort of a little goofy? Like some like you mentioned this point of like, I hear you. There's definitely these trends emerged at a time or were having a heyday at a time when people had more discretionary income. They felt more playful. Right now we're in a time where I think people feel like things are serious.

12:09The economic backdrop is not what it was, you know, two years ago. And then also you're seeing things that are coming out of the administration that maybe target some of these environmental social governance things. And I think people are feeling more compelled to lean into like value driven spending to send a message about what they stand for. But also on a lighter note, they were just getting a little goofy. Yeah, definitely. I mean, SardineCore. They're a little goofy, but like that is part of it. It was fun. And it was like there was a sense of play. And like at the same time, a lot of people were like, you know, this is back in like TikTok when it was like first kind of emerging as like the new popular app.

12:53So it was very fun to like play around with these. And, you know, like influencers even, I think we're a bit incentivized to do that, to post this new aesthetic, talk about it. And then here are the affiliate links like where you can get this look kind of thing and yeah beyond just kind of the environmental uncertainties and this like feeling of like a little bit like uncertainty right now I think also people are really leaning in like one of the things that has become like very dominant on social media is people talking about their personal style like this like race to like what is my personal style has kind of not replaced but like maybe like displaced the micro-tend churn a little bit and you see influencers talking about here's how to find your personal style blah blah blah blah blah but then on the other hand like you are seeing products kind of geared at showcasing personal style like over the past year and I think still really popular are bag charms.

13:57Oh yeah. Whether like homemade or brands selling these like Miu Miu selling these pre-made bag charms. And I think a lot that like really hit for a lot of people and this kind of like let's front this like really worn in Jane Birkin beat up bag. Lots of things coming off of it aesthetic. Yeah and late last year we also or no late 2023 actually we were sort of kind of talking about these trends. Grandpa core was one that emerged that is, you know, you think about it, you're like, that's goofy. And then I like my grandpa. No, me too. Great style. But you think about like a trend like that. And the trend was based around like wearing vintage and kind of like putting together things really eclectically.

14:48And that may look like, oh, it's just like this like quick fast fashion thing. But I think it also really spoke to one of the moods at the time, which was young people feeling like, oh, like I really want to like have this like long term cultivated good style items that have been in my closet forever, that sort of thing. Yeah. So micro trend does not necessarily mean the fashion itself or that garments itself are fleeting. It could actually mean picking one staple thing and participating in a trend that might move quickly, but that item can stick around. You know, it's funny, as you were speaking, I thought about this phrase that an analyst I would interview all the time about millennials and Gen Z, but particularly millennials, he would always say when we, as in millennials, were coming of age, our whole ethos was, I want to be different, just like my friends.

15:38And a lot of what you're saying sounds like that. It sounds like fashion doing its cyclical thing again. There's another thing that you mentioned your story that I want to talk about, which is under-consumption core and de-influencing. What are those two things and what do they say about this moment that we're in? Yeah, that under-consumption core and de-influencing are two things that I pointed to as kind of evidence that this whole thing was slowing down. And they both kind of have to do with buy less, buy better, which is an old idea. But influencers have really started talking about like, hey, you don't have to buy new things.

16:12Number one, You don't have to participate in trends. Actually, like, don't buy. And so that's been an interesting thing to see bubble up is that influencers encouraging people not to buy clothes. I bet brands and retailers really love that. Yeah. But one of the things that became really popular online, particularly with a very, like, fashion crowd is Mandy Lee, a trend forecaster and writer and influencer who I spoke to for this story. she has been talking a lot about this 75 hard styling challenge which is like kind of adjacent to the 75 hard fitness challenge um but it's fashion's version and it just has to do with like not buying anything new and then documenting your outfits and kind of like discovering your closet again and that's something that has really I think hit a note with people and kind of been evidence of this.

17:14We'll be back with more of the debrief right after this.

17:22I love what one of the sources in the article said, they talked about the fact that these flurry of micro trends showed to brands and retailers that consumers want them to be playful. They want them to not take themselves so seriously and engage in like a TikTok or a social media moment and be a part of the conversation, not at arm's length telling people what to buy, but to engage. Any other lessons you think that brands and retailers can take forward from the micro trends boom? Definitely, definitely. Yeah, that is a big one that like shoppers, young shoppers want brands that like meet them in the moment, speak the same language that they do.

17:58And I think probably like the biggest takeaway from my perspective for brands and retailers is that like a lot of these those that like really stuck around and like had staying power or I mean just fueled like big sales bursts a lot of those were tied to particular events whether it's like you're going to the U.S. Open and or the U.S. Open is just happening and that's like inspired you to dress or like you're going to a concert dressing up for like the Eros tour or Brat Summer or whatever or going to the movie or like being kind of inspired by the movies. We saw that happen with like Barbie and Barbie core and people dressing up to go out.

18:38And that this whole sense of what I am doing is how I'm dressing has become like very popular among young shoppers. And I don't think that that is something that's going away. And the smart retailers are plugging into these kind of like, you know, something's happening. We know about it. we're gonna make a tab on our website that kind of like directs shoppers there and then we're gonna like use the merchandise that we already had and that that is a really smart way to plug into this I think is like the big big takeaway from this and what retailers should watch pay attention to going forward and then we have other learnings related to like how to identify things that actually have staying power.

19:23And I spoke to Divya Mather, who is Revolve's chief merchandising officer. And she told me that Revolve, who is one of the retailers that has been pretty good about being reactive to these things, obviously they have a very young audience, so it makes sense for them. But she says that they look for trends that, number one, can span multiple seasons, because that's kind of like a showcase that they'll stick around, or a better about that they're going to stick around more. And then number two, like look for things that aren't just popping up on social media, but like are popping up on social media.

19:59And then, oh, you see something related on the runway. And then, oh, like maybe there's this like pop culture happening that is similar or like could potentially help drive this is another important learning. Yeah. I love that list that you provided. It's like, if it shows up in multiple places, if it can be worn across seasons, like, you know, like the mob wives era was not as long lasting. I mean, honestly, it was for me because I was like, I was accidentally on trend with that one, but it can be worn across seasons and it's easy to buy into. I think those are all important things to keep in mind on the consumer side, but also the retail side.

20:37I want to also talk, go back a little bit for a second to TikTok. TikTok's fate is like up in the air perpetually right now. Like one minute we have it, one minute we don't. Maybe it's going to go away. Maybe it's going to stay. What role does TikTok's fate play in all of this in terms of trends? Like where else will people look if TikTok does fade? It's hard to tell. I mean, these micro trends or trends in general, they don't just exist on TikTok. Like you'll see them pop on YouTube, Instagram. They'll finally make their way to Instagram Reels after a while. Eventually Facebook. No, probably not Facebook, but I don't know.

21:13haven't checked my facebook in a while but they are definitely like very much a tiktok phenomenon like tiktok is where these things start it's where they like gain steam and so yeah they are like pretty inherently connected to the platform and so it'll be interesting and i was they are pretty connected to the platform and we've even like seen tiktok launch tiktok shop and kind of like try to directly like play into that and i think that has helped fuel some of this consumption as well. So it'll be interesting to see what happens with TikTok and how that affects this whole kind of already slowing cycle.

21:52But yeah, it will be interesting to see. But a lot of the marketers and social media experts that I spoke to for this story told me that like, as they kind of watch what's happening with TikTok, they're asking their clients to like, number one, lean into like more evergreen, like identity based marketing. And number two, like rethink what virality looks like. Like a lot of these trends, something goes viral. A brand gets a ton of sales. Yay. But like, let's take a step back as that might shift. And brands have to be ready for that. They have to both be on trend, but also play the long game. I think that is a good point to end on.

22:36And Joan, this was such a learning moment for me to get immersed into microtrends and the Gen Z, but also not only Gen Z, but in their way of thinking and consuming online content and how that drives how they actually dress up. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you for having me. This is great. Please be sure to check out Joan's article, The Decline and Fall of the Viral Microtrend at businessoffashion.com. This and other stories are available to BOF professional subscribers only, and you can find the links in the episode notes. You've been listening to The Debrief, produced and edited by Olivia Davies and Eric Bria.

23:09I'm Sheena Butler-Young. We'll be back next week with a new episode. Thanks so much for joining us and be sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts.