Shortened Trend Cycles: Their Effects on Art & Fashion

 Shortened Trend Cycles: Their Effects on Art & Fashion

Sarah Quanci

As we move deeper into the 21st century, we can view a rapid acceleration of trend cycles within fashion and art. As social media's impact grows, it continues to shrink this cycle, nearly eliminating the “20-year” rule. Fast fashion and the mass waste created only become greater as trends speed up. The rapid cycling in the fashion industry has negatively affected artists and led to a growth in AI art. Shortened trend cycles negatively affect us as artists, humans, and the environment we live in.

Social media, and the rise of the internet as a whole, have expedited trend cycles and fashion’s lifespan. “Since the pandemic, microtrends have organically popped up on TikTok, with users describing grouped looks or aesthetics” 1. For my first article, Trends Used to Come Back Round Every 20 Years. Not Anymore., it explores the rise of social media within the 2020s, and how that rapidly changed pop culture. Microtrends, as I describe them, are trends (usually in fashion) that rapidly cycle through, mostly appearing on Pinterest or TikTok. “Previously, the 20-year cycle meant that pop culture trends came and went every 20 years” 1. The fashion industry is never going to stop keeping up with trends, but the mania of trends has eliminated the traditional lifecycle of a fashion trend: introduction, rise, peak, decline, and obsolescence 1. I also listened to From Tumblrcore to 2014 Core, the nostalgia loop is getting smaller and faster, which discusses how TikTok has gotten GenZ in a “nostalgia loop” 2. As social media users get younger, the amplified voices share a collective yearning for 2010s culture, and even Covid times. These reduced years between nostalgic times and current times have also played a part in the elimination of the 20-year cycle.“TikTok has a weird way of making every single thing in style at once" 2. I find that to be a really interesting analysis. Because apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest have such highly curated algorithms for each individual user, it's as if everyone on social media is individually experiencing their own trend cycles. While really interesting, it is terrifying to think about how much-curated waste we all partake in.

With increased demand, comes increased waste. Microtrends: becoming conscious of our consumption urges us to think about what we’re buying into. “This overproduction of cheap goods leads to massive amounts of waste: Over 101 tons of textile waste is produced annually” 3. We’re so willing to change and deface the environment all for cheap clothing that society will view as “out of style” in a month. I think it's valid to argue for education and mindfulness while shopping, but I think, overall, we have to all look at our consumption and practice using/wearing things to their full life. Within fast fashion brands, they can have a “product availability within three weeks. According to the COO of SHEIN, Molly Miao, 700 to 1000 new items of clothing are released to the website every day” 3. Thinking of all that waste is horrifying. Exploring more of the waste, Fashion Microtrends: Why they are dangerous for our Economy, Environment, and Psychology, discusses how social media has increased consumerism. “People now consume 400% more clothing than they did 20 years ago, yet waste around 82 pounds of clothing every year” 4. While yes, billion-dollar corporations are the main cause of environmental decay, I think it is also important for us as individuals to critique our own consumption, and hone in on what we like, and where our dollar goes.

As an effect of rapid cycling, there has been a growth of stolen art and AI used within fashion. Copy, Paste, Profit: How Shein Used AI to Create a Fast Fashion Empire, shares how Shein, a fast fashion company, uses AI to hastily pump out designs. “Shein’s AI systems scan the internet for emerging art and design trends. Once they spot something popular, the systems whip up new products based on its searches” 4. The problem with this system is that it is stealing/copying original works of art by independent artists and designers” 4. This really does affect small businesses. From previous research, you begin to understand that Shein is basically hiding from a multitude of lawsuits, while also somehow increasing influence online. This company has the ability to put a small artist out of business. This is why it is important for consumers to think about who/what they’re supporting.

Overall, I think these articles really help you understand our impact as individuals. Social media can consume and influence you, taking over your whole personality. While not necessarily a bad thing, I think it's important to look at why you follow a trend, and how you might practice mindful consumption when forming one's style. The haste with which trend cycles now move has an impact on all of us.

Sources:

1. Ewens, Hannah, et al. “Trends Used to Come Back Round Every 20 Years. Not Anymore.” VICE, 9 Aug. 2024, www.vice.com/en/article/how-the-20-year-trend-cycle-collapsed/. 

2. Ulaby, Neda. “From Tumblrcore to 2014core, the Nostalgia Loop Is Getting Smaller and Faster.” NPR, NPR, 1 Mar. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/03/01/1081115609/from-tumblrcore-to-2014core-the-nostalgia-loop-is-getting-smaller-and-faster. 

3. Wong, Leena. “Microtrends: Becoming Conscious of Our Consumption.” The Vanguard, 2 Sept. 2024, vanguard.bbns.org/3719/editorials/microtrends-becoming-conscious-of-our-consumption/#:~:text=Cheap%20fossil%2Dfuel%2Dbased%20synthetic,textile%20waste%20is%20produced%20annually. 

4. Wang, Grace. “Home.” Hallmanac, 22 Feb. 2024, hallmanac.danahall.org/fashion-microtrends-why-they-are-dangerous-for-our-economy-environment-and-psychology/. 

5. / Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts. “Copy, Paste, Profit: How Shein Used AI to Create a Fast Fashion Empire.” Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts, 22 Nov. 2024, wjlta.com/2024/11/22/copy-paste-profit-how-shein-used-ai-to-create-a-fast-fashion-empire/. 

Image: Alarcón, Julia Shipley Muriel. “A Mountain of Used Clothes Appeared in Chile’s Desert. Then It Went up in Flames.” Wired, Conde Nast, 13 Jan. 2024, www.wired.com/story/fashion-disposal-environment/.