Freedom of Fashion in the 2020s

By Fashion Editor Stephen O’Brien

Fashion Editor Stephen O’Brien discusses the impacts of Covid-19 and social media on fashion in the first half of the decade.

The 2020s started with a bang, or more specifically, a pandemic. Whilst hours could be spent talking about the after effects that COVID-19 had politically, socially, and economically, I personally would much rather speak on the lasting influence that those quarantine months had on fashion. To set the scene, the 2010s was a decade where the internet was beginning to influence fashion. Aesthetics consistently popped up on Tumblr and Instagram: the soft grunge of 2014 with black & white checkers and chokers, the “art hoe” look of 2017 that consisted of bright sunflower yellow jumpers and mom jeans. Athleisure and the obsession with branding and logos like Chanel, Gucci, or Supreme were another fashion style propagated by influencer culture. Social media and its emphasis on curating an aesthetic helped to push the styles and trends of the 2010s, in a way that felt more interactive and accessible than the decades prior where fashion trends were dictated by the fashion industry itself. With people being stuck inside during mid-2020, and of course the rise of TikTok during the same period, this influence grew exponentially.

The world was locked in their homes and glued to their phones and so the ‘Instagram meets Pinterest’ style that was pioneered on TikTok. The algorithm grew to understand users’ preferences and interests, which led to subcultures and communities quickly growing. Every phrase and style you could think of became a ‘-core’ — cottagecore is perhaps the most well-known. Think folklore by Taylor Swift, cow print, cardigans, and mushrooms. It was the dreamy style of someone who lived half in a fairyland and half in a cottage in the Cotswolds. Other fashion trends from the past made semi-revivals online, either through Millennial nostalgia, or from Gen Z romanticising a time they never got to experience. The “e-girl/boy” look is an example of this; a style that took influence from both late 00s emo fashion, and the aforementioned Tumblr grunge aesthetic from 2014. TikTok became a platform for ‘fit checks’ and style tips from regular people and celebs alike; suddenly a random teen could be just as influential to the regular person’s style as an established high-fashion magazine. And since the world had been disrupted, so too were the fashion weeks and shows to help dictate what was officially in or out.

Nowadays, it feels like everything is in; crop tops and oversized shirts, baggy jeans and sheer lace pants. Femininity is in, but so too is a masculine silhouette. Skirts are becoming androgynous, ‘boy shorts’ have become a staple of most women’s wardrobe.  Cowboy boots and ballet flats are everywhere. It’s all in vogue. The pandemic opened the floodgates for self-expression to replace the hard rules on what to wear and how to wear it that had previously existed. People were given the time to separate themselves from self-consciousness and could instead discover more about fashion and their tastes. They could reminisce on previous fashion trends, either from their own past or decades prior. Some people took to spending their free time learning to crochet and sew. The summer of 2020 was an explosion of garish, over-the-top, yet fun styles. Makeup was flamboyant and experimental, people were embracing ‘looking strange’, to push themselves out of their comfort zones when it came to fashion. Crochet went from being for blankets to being hats and jumpers and tote bags. The subsequent years post lockdowns have certainly toned that flamboyant wildness down, yet still most of the popular styles nowadays came about largely from the influence of TikTok and people’s freedom to express themselves as wildly as they’d like: no one was around to judge, and everyone felt free to experiment safely with fashion.

Speaking of 2024, the Western cowboy aesthetic is a distinct look that has been making a return. Some of it can be connected to the rise of country music, with musicians like Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, and Chris Stapleton ruling the airwaves in the US, and pop stars like Beyonce, Post Malone, and Lana Del Rey all pivoting to country music. A lot of it, however, can be attributed to the economy and political landscape; the last time the “country look” was in style was the early/mid-00s when Bush was president and American patriotism was at an all-time high. Nowadays it can be linked to the rising prices of almost everything and a growing distrust in governments across the globe. There has been a rise in conservative politics that has impacted Middle and Southern America, and a lot of music and aesthetic culture has cropped up based around the Midwestern/Southern experience online. Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter has revitalised the ‘Southern Gothic’ aesthetic, and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess has given a spotlight on the queer American experience outside of LA or New England. Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter has given a spotlight to Black country musicians like Shaboozey, and Orville Peck’s entire career is based upon the deep connection between the queer community and the cowboy aesthetic. This cowboy reclamation is all about freedom of expression and reclaiming a style that had once been associated entirely with right-wing conservative America; People are beginning to ignore the baggage that once came with a style, and are instead transforming it.

As I mentioned, everything nowadays is in, and every piece of clothing or job or piece of fruit could and would be given a hyper-specific label (ending with the -core suffix) to be viewed, consumed, and removed. There are positive sides to this, yes, but there are also negatives. This type of consumption has always been a staple of fashion, but in 2020 these trends would last only weeks instead of the usual years. There is a deep-rooted problem in today’s culture with overconsumption. Fast fashion has been a staple of the fashion industry since its inception in the mid-20th century with shops like Zara and H&M, however, since 2020 l Shein, an online-based outlet that sells astronomically cheap garments through horrific working conditions and the exploitation of children and financially vulnerable people in countries like China and Singapore has been taking over the market. In 2020 alone it made $10 billion, and that grew to $22 billion in 2022. This wasteful, exploitative business model is something that personally frustrates many, as sustainability and environmentalism were at the forefront of everyone’s mind back in 2019, only to be forgotten once people could buy a 5kg haul of cheap clothes. It is something that is spoken about immensely and a well-known issue. Unfortunately  however, the draw of a dress or shirt for less than a coffee is too effective in an age where prices are soaring and it’s getting increasingly more and more difficult to afford to live. Many people rationalise their consumption of Shein through this, stating that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, and yes, it is true that almost all products in the Western world will have a link to exploitation. But there needs to be a line drawn, and buying a large excessive package of clothing is not a human necessity. And is fitting a specific microtrend or aesthetic that you will tire of in 6 months more important than the freedom and rights of the women and children forced into sweatshop conditions?

Ultimately, whilst fast fashion has become an even worse problem, and the overconsumption of cheap products online is a byproduct of COVID-19, I do believe that the fashion industry is in an exciting place of creativity right now. Whilst peer pressure in terms of style will always exist, it is not as overbearing as it once was. Whereas 10 years ago there may have been one or two mainstream looks that were ‘acceptable’, nowadays it feels like you could line up 5 people, all dressed in widely different outfits, and they would all look on-trend. I’m excited to see how the rest of the decade proceeds, and if this will just be a blip in fashion history, or if this will be the beginning of a new age of style.