TikTok, the popular social media app, has an impact on user’s everyday lives, such as the way they eat, the products they buy, the people they follow, and even what they wear. Many trends have cycled through the TikTok platform, going viral quickly due to influencer consumption. However, as fast as these trends come, they also are quick to leave.
Micro trends are short lived fads that go viral quickly, but do not last long. Micro trends usually only last a few months before they die off and become a thing of the past. In the fashion industry, micro trends are increasing with platforms like TikTok. Recently, trends like gorpwear, skater fits, archival wear and now bootcut and flared jeans are on the rise.
During 2020, a wave of Arcterxys jackets flooded the TikTok fashion scene, seen first with hikers and very active people wearing the jacket, showing its functionality. The jacket itself is a shell and very light, yet keeps the wearer warm and has a waterproof layer that causes the water to “bead off” off the jacket.
The function and design of the jacket caught people’s attention immediately. As it grew in popularity, more videos emerged on TikTok of people using the jacket for everyday wear, outside of its original intent. People were even recording themselves in the shower, showing off the waterproof function to gain more views. However, after this sudden surge in popularity, the trend died just as fast.
While half of TikTok users were hunting for the Arcteryx jacket, the other half began to notice a rise in baggy jeans and oversized shirts. Certain brands such as Jncos, Empire, Ed Hardy, and Dickies began coming back into style after disappearing from the fashion scene for over a decade.
This style highlighted outfits with jeans that seem unusually large and often including the messy layering of short sleeve baggy tees on top of long sleeve shirts. Big store brands like even began to carry some of these brands again, after not carrying them since the early 2000s. This micro trend also died as fast as it rose, after the skater community accused the style’s new fan base of being posers.
The most recent trend that has gone viral on TikTok is the Siahtok/Hediboy trend. It has been the most versatile to live on TikTok. Its base consists of sought after pieces from past designer collections, paired with figure-hugging clothing in order to show off the body. The style is also characterized of being very “rock and roll.” Prime examples of this style would be Christano Ronaldo, Young Thug, and Mario Balotelli in the early 2000s.
Although TikTok is great for shining a light on many niche styles and assisting with the short term progression of fashion, many people also think it’s the source of killing originality and individuality. By making fashion as easy as copy and pasting, many feel as though no one has their own sense of uniqueness or style.
TikTok has also caused a rush to purchase many average or simple pieces just because of the what’s trending on the app. Many brands that used to be avant-garde are now being sold in mainstream stores, simply because of social media. It leads many to wonder if social media is causing the death of unique looks indefinitely.
