Trends

“When we look in the rear-view, it is always the most outrageous moments that end up defining an era. The twenties flapper, eighties punk rocker, and nineties grunge bands represented small slivers of the population, but now seem to epitomize the decades in which they were the outlying occurrences.”  90’s Revival

“If you think back to the decades of the twentieth century, before clothing became disposable, it took years for the major fashion trends to shift. But with the rise of the internet and social media, they now turn at a rate that is highly accelerated, completing their life cycles within a matter of seasons. This means that most of the clothing we buy are not made to last, nor are they expected to.”  Beacon’s Return

“Most things have been done before so what makes for an interesting composition can often be a purposeful arrangement of recognizable parts. While some designers are masters of invention, most are expert mixologists, synthesizing fabric, silhouette, and construction details, into a final work whose value exceeds the sum of its cost. Within the last few seasons, this has meant the juxtaposition of two different or opposing concepts into a single form to create something entirely new.”  Trend Report 2013: Contrast & Other Flights of Fancy

“While trends are often associated with fashion, they are not exclusive to it. They also refer to the rise and fall in popularity of people, places and ideas… And while the origin of a trend is often obscure, the constant trading of information means that they can now spread at the speed of the sudden impulse. But whether trends are incubated or evolve organically, they have a tendency to cut large swaths of the populace from similar cloth.”  Trend Trafficking

“The real reason that ‘Girls’ is relevant is not for the characters’ likability, because they’re often not, but because there are young women who actually see aspects of themselves in the characters… Even though the show is highly dramatized, for a lot of women it captures the feeling of total free-fall that happens when they’re finally released into the world, like white doves hurled from a speeding train. They think that they’re going to soar but those first moments of flight are not pretty.” Girls in the Years of Living Dangerously

“Regardless of the industry and it’s methods, the aim of all this attention grabbing is quite simple: give people a reason to buy. We are, after all, living in the breast of capitalism, close to its heart center. Corporations are just as concerned with self-preservation as the individual and so we dazzle the viewer with the latest and greatest, hoping to further fuel the growing lust for inanimate things.”  Trend Trafficking

“We live in a world that is constantly evolving and so we often don’t see the consequences of progress or a technological advancement until it’s already deeply ingrained within the societal structure. Take smoking for example. The habit was widespread until it was discovered to be the leading cause of lung cancer. The majority of the so-called progress that has happened within my lifetime is related to the computer and how we communicate with each other. So even though we have more opportunities to be social, the interactions being mediated through technology often promote feelings of detachment, alienation, and isolation.” – Girls in the Years of Living Dangerously

“And while the mainstream can come across as an overwhelming and unstoppable force, trends are precarious by nature. They have a trajectory, an arc with only one possible conclusion and once the zenith is reached, it is only a matter of time before the free-fall gets its due. It happens when the air is suddenly so saturated that it must then be purged. It is strange to watch something so trendy, so high off its own popularity and then forced to succumb to its own terrible death throes.”  Trend Trafficking