The January Trend Report
The rise of nostalgia accessories when the future is coming for us all
A huge thank you to paid subscribers and everyone who’s purchased using an affiliate link. This month I’m donating to the Animal Humane Society in Minnesota. I found them through Becky Malinsky’s latest 5 Things You Should Buy post which shares a list of resources to help her hometown of Minneapolis. If you’re new to Substack and love fashion, Becky’s newsletter is a must-read for her stellar POV.
Futurism & The Return To Vintage
The idea of a Jetsons-like future came a step closer to reality on November 30th, 2022 when ChatGPT opened to the public. In the three years since its launch, fears about the imprint of artificial intelligence on critical thinking, creativity, and the workforce1 have been a central criticism. Half of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI’s growing role in everyday life and 77% worry that AI will be a threat to humanity2.
Resistance to AI coupled with the desire for an analog life3 is pushing consumers towards nostalgic dressing that goes further back than the nineties and noughties of early pandemic. The rise of mid-century vintage accessories like opera gloves and pillbox hats are an underlying rejection of tech: neither are functional by today’s standards with textiles that aren’t smartphone friendly and brims that don’t protect against UV rays, but both provide a dose of beauty and natural fibers missing in today’s technical apparel world.
Brooches feed into the pushback against the speedy wardrobe solutions we’ve come to expect in today’s go-go-go world. They aren’t an effortless piece, requiring extra consideration for placement alongside the added concern of textile damage. Brooches are the opposite of what AI represents: slower, inconvenient, and personally creative. Vintage brooches take this a step further, delving into friction-maxxing territory.
