Are We Overusing Microtrends

It would be almost impossible to argue that the Global North doesn’t have an overconsumption problem. We’re plagued by mini-fridge restocks and blind bag openings, but there is also a growing number of anti-consumerism influencers trying to ‘reset’ our feeds. I have a huge amount of respect for a lot of these creators. There’s a generation who genuinely need someone on the internet to give them permission to consume more ethically. The ‘under-consumption core’ trend has been a great way to remind people (particularly young girls) that it is not normal to buy endless products when we can reuse what we already have. 

However, I’m starting to question quite how extreme the message being put forward by some creators is. Particularly, how quick people are to denote every popular item of fashion as a ‘microtrend’. Now, I am not saying that anyone should be consuming more products or being less sustainable. Of course not. What concerns me is how high the standards of sustainable living are being set, and that this is making some people feel like they should not even try because they’re already a failure. 

Fundamentally, we all need to wear clothes and we should all feel happy and confident in said clothes. You don’t need 10 pairs of jeans, but you do need a few pairs that fit well and work with your style. I’ve seen ‘dark wash denim’ as a whole branded as a microtrend, despite dark denim being a constant in fashion for as long as anyone can remember. The way underconsumption influencers raise this point makes the viewer feel like if they own dark denim they’re part of a problem. There’s two sides to every story, and of course some people will have purchased a low quality pair of dark jeans from a fast fashion retailer that they will discard after a few wears. That’s damaging to the environment, and is part of the overconsumption problem. But, essentially telling off an individual who has a pair of dark wash jeans that they wear regularly and may have purchased second hand isn’t progress. The context of jeans as jeans is gone. 

There’s so many more examples I could give of these ‘pseudo microtrends’ that don’t fall out of fashion. Butter yellow endures as a spring/summer staple, for example. Underconsumption influencers can’t be expected to predict the future, so it is fair enough that people didn’t think butter yellow would hang around. But, I think this is another example of how promoting ethical consumption rather than shaming works. When butter yellow hit the shelves, I saw many underconsumption influencers condemning it as a trend that was going to end up in landfill. If you were thinking about purchasing a butter yellow item, the majority of people would swipe on as they don’t want a lecture. Instead, deinfluencing could encourage people to consider how a butter yellow item could fill a gap in their wardrobe. Reminders that you don’t need a whole new wardrobe for the season are more impactful than a hyper focus on specific trends.

It does go without saying that some trends aren’t destined to hang around, and people really should look before they leap. We need to end this culture of blame, and start supporting people to find their own personal style. Our problem as an overconsuming society isn’t people wearing polkadots to Olivia Dean concerts, it’s people buying a new outfit for every single concert and party they go to. I think it’s important not to get swept up by what other people are wearing to concerts, and consider if a piece that you’re buying is something that you genuinely like. There is simply no point paying money for clothes you don’t like, be it for a concert, a wedding or a party. 

Dismantling haul culture, normalising rewearing occasion wear, and not treating Vinted as an excuse for excess is how we tackle overconsumption. When people feel able to wear what they like, not what’s trending, we won’t need to call out micro-trends. The near elitist poo-pooing of trends by underconsumption influencers makes sustainability a closed fortress that’s not for everyone. Respecting what’s led people to make the choice to participate in a so-called microtrend and offering them advice on how they can make more sustainable choices is a far kinder route to a sustainable future. 

Written by, Eleanor Patamia