At the end and beginning of each year, fashion gurus and unquote ‘it’ girls use their fashion crystal balls to predict what they think will be the trend for the coming year. Last year we saw cargo trousers and skirts taking over. Tube tops were everywhere in 2022 (I have three now and I still need more) and Uggs made a big comeback in winter.
Which makes us wonder, what will be the fashion trends in 2023? What clothes do I need to ditch to put in my closet even though I’m unlikely to wear them again? User @victoriacasalinoo thinks skinny jeans will make a comeback (congratulations millennials).
Faux fur, fun tights, and money are going to be on the rise this year, according to @bbana444. Amazingly, the clothing iteration is set to make a comeback in 2023. Yes, you read that right wearing your clothes more than once will be a trend (it can be put to good use finally my washing machine).
What does it say about the climate of the fashion industry if re-wearing is not a norm but a trend? For many people, rewearing clothes is not a choice but a lifestyle.
Not only is fast fashion unsustainable, it’s unaffordable
The average person cannot afford to buy a new outfit every time they step outside their home. Not only is it expensive but it is harmful to the environment. Most of us need to wear the clothes in our closet for different occasions. Especially as the cost of bills continues to rise, who will be able to afford a new outfit for our friend’s birthday meal?
Hayaat Nankya Kagimu who is a 24 year old model from London has worn clothes again for life. “I don’t see it as important to spend a lot of money buying into trends that are going to take off soon and I like to buy things that will usually last that are more expensive,” she says.
“Re-wearing clothes is a trend, which shows me how lost the influencer-capitalist society is.”
“For me wearing clothes is not a conscious choice but it is normal for me and I try to resist the pressure to wear something new all the time to impress people,” says Kagimu.
She thinks it’s ridiculous that repeating an outfit is now seen as a trend because clothing was never meant to be single-purpose. “Re-wearing clothes is a trend, which shows me how lost the influencer-capitalist society is.”
Chakkana Pryce, a 29-year-old designer from London, says that the most natural thing for her is to wear her clothes again. “When I find clothes I love, I want to wear them all the time. There are so many times when I wear the same things so much that I have to force myself to wear something else. It’s like having a uniform,” Pryce tells HuffPost UK. When she buys something new she always intends to keep it for a long time.
“That’s how I decide whether or not something should be an addition to my wardrobe. I think about the different ways I could style it with my current clothes and if I can imagine it ever being. I’m not interested in one-off pieces,” she says.
Her love of clothing again inspired the creation of her Sharkkini brand.
“Sharkkini originally started out because I couldn’t find my version of the perfect bikini, a classic, high quality set that I could wear on every trip, so I made it.”
Pryce continues: “That same idea of creating travel pieces has now expanded into joggers, hoodies, skirts, and more to come. Everything starts from what I feel is missing from my wardrobe and then I think about how I can make that as functional as possible but still cute.”
She hopes that everyone who owns a Sharkkini product loves it so much that they will be able to wear her items again and again.
Trend or not, we’re going to see a lot more re-wearing this year
For these women and many others, outfit repetition isn’t a trend, so why do fashion experts predict we’ll see more of this in 2023?
“Being in a recession means people are more careful with their spending, and fashion is not essential so people are more creative in how they dress and build an outfit, instead of splurging on new items the all the time,” says. Giovanna Vieira is Rotaro’s head of marketing.
She says that “circular and rental fashion is becoming more popular among young people. Especially as millennial and Gen Z youth gain financial power and begin to make more sustainable choices to preserve the planet and their future.”
Plus, it’s getting harder and harder to find clothes with original designs, something I’ve been struggling with for the past year. “A lot of the things in the shops lack variety and novelty so people may already have similar styles at home that they can re-wear or even borrow from friends or get rent from fashion rental platforms before thinking about buying,” says Vieira.
″…it stems from a subconscious fear that others will look at you as poor if you keep wearing the same clothes all the time.”
Although most people reuse their clothes, there is a stigma associated with doing so. “In general, it stems from a subconscious fear that others will look at you as poor if you keep wearing the same clothes all the time,” Vieira explains.
You don’t want to be the one caught wearing her birthday dress to another event or the girl who wears the same top every night out but why? “Historically, when social class was more important in society, only those with a level of wealth could afford the latest fashions or have custom goods,” Vieira explains.
“Whether we like to admit it or not, despite the fact that social class is no longer as visible, there are certain markers that people go by to make judgments today – fashion is an important thing.”
“The whole industry is built on novelty and trends because this is what they benefit from and so there is this notion that old season wear is ‘tacky,'” says Vieira.
Develop a personal style and build a capsule wardrobe
The stigma of wearing clothes from last season or later is slowly fading as vintage and sustainable fashion is on the rise.
“What we are seeing now is that ‘vintage clothes’ as in old fashion, for example, is gaining huge momentum as people are trying to develop their own unique style and find rare items that are appreciated of value over time. rather than depreciation.”
Chakkana Pryce believes that repeating an outfit should be a lifestyle rather than a trend, “The easiest way to do this is to build a wardrobe of staple/outfit pieces that you love, which takes some time to do that.”
“It’s also good because it encourages you to invest in better quality clothes and not overspend for a trend,” she says.
I personally started the process of building a capsule wardrobe last year. At first, it felt tedious because it felt like I wasn’t buying anything that stood out to me. But, now I feel that I have managed to create my own personal style which is still growing. Finding clothes to wear now doesn’t feel like an impossible task like it did when my wardrobe was trend-based.
“It makes it easier to wear the clothes we have at home over and over again – it can be really hard to decide what to wear so organizing your wardrobe in a way that is easy to build a kit,” says Vieira.
“Repetition of furnishings also shows that we have character and a strong sense of style and is financially beneficial as we would be spending less on items we don’t intend to keep.”
“Finally, it’s more sustainable as a large number of items that are thrown away or donated to charity end up in landfills in Africa and South America – polluting soil and water supplies and creating a resulting global problem on our consumerism and our addiction to fashion. ,” Vieira explains.
With the cost of almost everything in life increasing, the last thing we want to do is worry about buying new clothes. I will continue to re-wear the white Zara bra I bought last year that my mum labeled ‘my uniform’ because I love it and I bought it to re-wear.