By: Lily Fitzgerald
Fashion trends have seemed to rapidly change over the past few years or even months, cycling through past trends and giving modern twists. These trends are all a part of a life cycle, where trends go through five stages; introduction, rise, peak, decline, and obsolescence along with a 20 year trend cycle where trends reappear every 20 years with a modern twist. Even though fashion seems predictable under these parameters, social media and technology have made trends both less predictable and shorter.
The hyperactive trend cycle has caused negative effects on both over consumption and waste, as trends cycling fasts makes consumers want to buy new clothes or fast fashion so that they can be in style. But if we understand the trend cycle, we can be smarter when it comes to our consumption habits. We can learn the fashion trend cycle through different trends, but the one I want to focus on is skinny jeans.
Introduction
The first stage of a trend begins with the introduction of a new style—an emerging color, silhouette, pattern, fabric, or fit, that typically differs from the current fashion. The new trend is typically presented by a major brand or designer, and might not be well received at first glance due to the newness of the style or the fact it is replicating an older style that is seen as obsolete.
The classic late 2000s skinny jeans were first introduced to the market in 2005 by Heidi Slimane, the creative director at Dior Homme. The pants style was rudimentary at the time, as most skinny jeans were only available online and the fabric didn’t have the correct materials to give the exact hold. As a result, the style was frowned upon at the time and was not yet considered a trend or fashionable over the classic styles of the time like bootcut or baggier jean styles.
Rise
The second stage is the trend cycle is the rise––the moment when the style transitions from new to trendy. The transition is usually achieved through some influencing with celebrities and influencers wearing the trend to gain it traction. Celebrities or well known people wearing the trend causes it to appear in the media more frequently causing people to come to accept the style and see themselves wearing it in the process.
In 2006, many celebrities and influencers were featured wearing skinny jeans allowing for the product to begin to gain popularity and relevance. What made skinny jeans unique was that it was adaptable to many different subcultures and styles. From fashion icons like Paris Hilton to Emo Band front runners, the trend appeared a lot in the media and as a result many people wanted to emulate their favorite celebrities and their style. As a result, skinny jeans made a rather quick rise in popularity allowing for it to rise up in relevance.
Peak
The third stage is the peak, recognized as the point in the trend cycle where the style is the most in fashion. Here the style is available everywhere and accessible to all consumer types. Meaning that styles that were once only available in high-end fashion stores are now available in cheaper and fast fashion retailers like Forever 21. Although the peak may seem like the shortest stage, it can actually be for very long stretches of time depending on the flexibility and timelessness of the style or clothing item.
As skinny jeans rose up in relevance, more brands picked up the style, opening up access to the trend. Soon most clothing stores had some form of skinny jeans and it became weird to not wear them. Skinny jeans became an asset to every outfit, as they were versatile enough for brands to make different minor alterations coming in multiple colors and fabrics, allowing for them to reign supreme until the mid 2010s.
Decline
The fourth stage is decline––when the market becomes oversaturated with the trend and becomes too mainstream. Following close behind the peak, consumers grow tired of the trend or style, and feel like searching for different styles to gravitate towards. Once you can’t do anything new with a product, it’s hard to find any new interest in the fashion item, pushing people to look elsewhere and give in to whatever the newest trend is.
By the mid 2010s, skinny jeans had lost their luster as they had nothing new to give the consumer and became too relevant. Consumers began looking towards newer trends like mom jeans or wider legged pants that offered more comfort and versatility. Skinny jeans started to become out of style or cheugy, and people became a lot less inclined to purchase any new pair of the jeans. As a result, they fell out of mainstream style and relevance, leaning more towards the final stage than the peak.
Obsolescence
The fifth and final stage is Obsolescence, the stage when the style becomes entirely “out of fashion” leaving behind the trend entirely. They often move on to newer trends and as a result, the style ends up appearing in thrift stores and donation bins as people no longer want to wear them. Obsolescence is where trends go to die, but in the future can have the opportunity to be resurrected with some sort of fun twist.
As of today, skinny jeans have entirely lost their favor in mainstream clothing and fashion, as we no longer see the jeans worn around or sought after as intensely at the start of the trend. Skinny jeans are dead, as people turned away from them for more baggy alternatives and no longer desire to wear them. However, there is a chance for skinny jeans to reemerge in the not too distant future, as boot cut jeans—the trend before skinny jeans––has just reemerged, resetting the trend cycle and giving the opportunity for other styles to return.
Conclusion
From the trend cycle, consumers can understand that there is some weird form of recycling going on with styles and trends and that everything seems to be based on trying to find something the other person isn’t wearing. If we understand fashion from a psychological perspective, we can forgo a lot of fast fashion norms of always wanting the newest fashion and just wear what we want. If we don’t feel like racing to meet the expectations of the next trend, we can be more conscious of our consumption habits and prevent ourselves from wasting important resources and giving into fast fashion. Understanding the trend cycle is key to helping the environment and our wardrobe.