The era of Gen Z: Y2K takes on the world!

It’s said that trends usually make an appearance every 20 years, and well, it’s no surprise that Y2K is back in 2022. Hence, curiosity is getting the better of us, and so we’re going on a journey of understanding where and what led to the origin of the Y2k fashion.

Y2K trends today are much refined compared to the actual 2000s era. The term ‘Y2K’ is an abbreviation for the ‘Year 2000’ and is also often referred to as the computer bug that messed up the dates and took over the internet. The era then saw the rise of technology and was, therefore, fashion consumerism was luxurious and over the top, which is when Y2k originated. The fashion was tacky with big logos, odd pairings, and all things bling, which people termed as futuristic trends. It was also the thrill of a new start to a new century, a new era, which led to people going overboard with their expenditure celebrating prosperity.

Y2K fashion was all about gaudy, tacky, and being extra. The first person to pop into our heads when thinking of the era is Paris Hilton. Paris, a prominent socialite, is to date known for her fashion and keeping up or rather setting trends. From low waist jeans to everything bling, Paris wore it all. The Juicy couture set was also one of her signature wears. We saw a lot of people trying out trends of skirts of jeans, micro mini skirts, fitted crop tops, diamante belts, Ed Hardy t-shirts.

It is noticed that we see Y2K recurring because the eras have similarities in situations. Getting through a pandemic and quarantining has made us all lonely and needy in certain ways. Our use of technology also increased staying inside, and to keep our needs satisfied in a way, we started leaning towards online shopping and shopping unnecessarily in bulk. As we compare both eras, we notice many similarities like these.

But today consumers are also well-informed and more conscious of their choices, especially in fashion. The styles today are a bit more refined and long-lasting as we see on the runway as well. Today, designers like Miu, Miu, Jacquemus, Prada, and others believe in making staple clothing that can last us at least for a decade, and be sustainable, which is a more positive revolutionized version of the 2000s, where people were all about micro-trends and fast fashion. Today, we see a more mature, sustainable, and evolved Y2K fashion.