You may have seen the theory that fashion recycles itself every 20 years, like when ‘70s fashion came back in the ‘90s or when 2020 saw a Y2K resurgence. Though most consumers don’t put much thought into the fact that trends tend to recycle themselves, some might start to wonder why these trends make a comeback in the first place. 

Drawing inspiration from fashion’s history has been happening for hundreds of years. This may be because we tend to romanticize the past, especially when fashion reminds us of a better time in history or fond memories of our own. This is why nostalgia is one of the biggest factors in why old trends start to resurface in modern stores. People tend to wear clothes that make them feel good, so wearing clothing associated with certain people or periods might bring back that familiar feeling of nostalgia.  

The reason why we are seeing such nostalgic fashion show up in more stores, though, is because consumers and designers alike enjoy basking in the familiar feeling. 

“Nostalgia helps fashion designers tap into the emotional connections that people have with past styles, making them more appealing and relatable,” Shirley Jones Luke said in an article for Medium. 

Our family also plays a big role in the clothes we wear. Growing up, a lot of people want to be just like their family and draw inspiration from those closest to them. An article by Carmen Lopez, a writer for Current Boutique, dives into this notion. 

“We are subconsciously influenced by what our parents and role models wore when we were younger,” Lopez said. 

One TikToker with the username @purselov3r, made a video with the caption, “Something about dressing like your mom did when you were a kid heals me.” 

What our parents wore plays a large role in our nostalgia, which forms the decisions we make regarding fashion. Consumers are not the only people influenced by this, though. The reason why we are seeing more retro-inspired pieces hitting the shelves could be the same reason why we go to reach for them. 

Modern fashion designers are often influenced by what their parents or grandparents wore, thus churning out more classic-looking designs, guiding the modern consumer to repeat older trends. 

While fashion is widely used as a means of self-expression, it doesn’t stop people from following the latest trends, even if those trends might not actually be the latest.

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Hi! I’m Kayla Friedman, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.