As a typical summer’s day came to a close, like clockwork, I opened my phone and began the inevitable doomscroll on TikTok. The mindless activity was calming before bed. After scrolling for a bit, I noticed a trend in my feed: More and more clothing hauls took over my screen. It wasn’t the number of them that was concerning—the algorithm knew I was glued to similar videos—but the sheer quantity of clothing in each haul.
In the caption of one video, I saw a plethora of hashtags: #foryoupage, #haul, #SHEIN, #cottagecore. “Cottagecore, what’s that?” I murmured. I went back to the video and watched as frills, florals, and shades of various pastels burst out from the screen, something I hadn’t noticed before. While displaying each clothing item, the creator repeated that all the clothes were “must haves” to fulfill the “cottagecore” aesthetic. Despite having never heard the term “cottagecore,” over the next two weeks, I saw the parabolic rise and fall of a microtrend in real time.
Microtrends have compressed the traditional20-yeartrendcycleintoamuch shorterlifespan.Theirpopularityrisesfast but falls rapidly. The rise of microtrends can be attributed to social media, and more specifically, influencer marketing. Influencers are in constant competition for the attention of their audience. The more views they have, the more money they earn. For example, influencer Charlie D’Amelio earned $5 million in 2020 from TikTok alone. The need for views forces influencers to become more inventive with their content and convincing with their marketing tactics.
Unfortunately, this can negatively affect viewers who end up falling victim. By the time your new clothes arrive, the trend is already out, and influencers have moved on to the next big thing. These influencers portray that you need a certain product to “fit in.” This way, the cycle keeps repeating itself.
These rapid-speed trends became especially popular during COVID-19. Impulse buying skyrocketed because of a need for instant gratification and comfort in a time when everything else was fluctuating. Gen-Z got hit especially hard with the wave of microtrends, and it was only natural that the appeal of fast fashion skyrocketed, given its affordability and power to mirror trends.
Microtrends and fast fashion are directly intertwined. Once brands like SHEIN, Zara, and H&M have a glimpse into a trend, the turnaround until product availability is 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. For the sake of quantity, quality is sacrificed. Cheap fossil-fuel-based synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, spandex, and acetate make up the clothing we buy from these brands. This overproduction of cheap goods leads to massive amounts of waste: Over 101 tons of textile waste is produced annually. Forecasters predict a staggering 147 million tons will be produced by the end of this decade. Most of this waste ends up in landfills, where decomposition pollutes the environment. So consciously deciding if a purchase is worth it is becoming increasingly crucial.
When making a trendy purchase, I ask myself: Do I see myself wearing this next year and the year after that? And what about when, not if, this trend has gone “out of fashion?” I have fallen into these marketing traps countless times—my baby-tee, fluffy bag, argyle sweaters, and plaid skirt eras were very short-lived. My money went straight into the back of my closet to sit in shame.
If I am able to justify my decision, I turn to secondhand platforms such as Depop, eBay, Poshmark, and Etsy. Shopping secondhand means promoting a circular economy, standing against fast fashion, and being able to shop more sustainably. Nine times out of ten, this sustainable way of shopping will result in that one-of-a-kind gem that satisfies your retail fantasies.
It is important to ask yourself if you’ve fallen into these microtrend marketing traps. If yes, try to have an open mind. Expand beyond the bounds of social media to avoid “succumbing to the bandwagon of fast-fashion microtrends,” according to an article by Giuseppe Scandariato. Ignore the rapid ways of social media marketing and instead hone in on clothing that makes you feel good. Make a Pinterest mood board and pull out items of clothing from your closet that speak to you, ignoring what the 100k viewers on that one TikTok would approve. Understand that the most authentic style is one thoughtfully curated through a personal lens. Find cover! And don’t get swept away by the whirlwind of microtrends.
