By Nicky Andrews
From juicy couture sweat sets and low-rise distorted jeans, early 2000s fashion is once again rage. It could make that old box of clothing behind your closet a sitting cash cow.
Born between 1997 and 2012, Generation Z has been handed down to the Y2K aesthetics that many millennials cling to.
Fashion Forward University students and Tiktok influencers are showing off miniskirts, thick sandals and other bright, branded, border-sticky, sticky items.
Jackson Mangum, a 24-year-old tailor from Eugene, Oregon, said that while he’s distanced himself from Y2K to find his personal style, his wardrobe still has an impact, including buggy camouflage shorts, flared jeans and big funky sunglasses.
“I’m not usually Y2K, but I appreciate the Y2K style. I think it’s cool,” said Mangum, who presents his work on his Instagram account @wornandtornattire.
“Buggy jeans, various pops of pink, chrome shades – it’s easy to go anywhere, and you can find something that fits that niche. It’s easier than putting together a complete vintage outfit.”
Boomer emptying millennial closet
One reason for Y2K’s revival is the 20-year cycle that is common in fashion history, experts say. (Y2K stands for 2000.)
“We saw a lot of the ’90s styles return before the Y2K style returned,” said Emma McClendon, a fashion historian based in New York City.
Lauren Downing Peters, an associate professor of fashion studies at Columbia College Chicago, said Y2K’s revival could be the result of Boomer shrinking his home and cleaning up old belongings from millennial children.
“The 20-year period is long enough for younger generations to find fashion for their parents’ generation.
There are many things in common between the 2000s and 2020s.
Furthermore, both experts are similar during the political and social dynamics of 20 years, including the tech boom and catastrophic events.
“There was 9/11 in the early 2000s, and it reconstructed how people thought about the world, how people thought about themselves, how people thought about politics,” McClendon said. “I think the global pandemic will be really interesting compared to its restructuring.”
The growth of the internet and social media in the 2000s, she said, reflects the development of artificial intelligence today. At the same time, the 2000s could represent a time when social media and interconnectivity are relatively unliberated.
“It’s kind of the charm behind vintage-inspired fashion trends. This idea was in its state at the time,” she said.
So, what can you get for those old jeans?
Jocelyn Brown, who owns the online resale shop Arkival Storehouse, makes a living from this nostalgia by buying vintage clothing from thrift stores and antique malls, and up-cycling them to resell them online.
She said anyone trying to make money on old clothes can sell and trade using online channels and apps such as Depop, Poshmark, Thredup, Tiktok and Instagram. Brown also offers to sell it at flea markets.
She advises the seller to respond to the audience’s purchases.
“People really like when something is curated and it feels like an experience,” said Brown, who lives in Chicago. “I’m really specifically specific about what I put on my rack, and I might have more than what I brought…or I separate it into different collections.”
Resellers are another option. Nell Tercek, assistant manager at Apocalypse, a reseller in Boulder, Colorado, said about 75% of the inventory the stores buy is Y2K.
Staff pay particular attention to micro mini skirts, vintage Victoria Secret lingerie tanks and baby tees, she said. For all items purchased, the seller will receive a 30% cash or a 50% store credit resale price.
“The Y2K style is really flashy, very exciting and visually appealing,” Tercek says. “Physical expression is really important now for the situation in the world. People want to show people they are real and try their clothes.”
Downing Peters said, “I’m seeing a lot of revivals of Logomania and these precious Y2K brands. Like my fear, I’m watching students wear fonduches and true religious jeans again.
Earth-friendly charm of used purchases
The sustainable nature of purchasing second-hand items also appeals to consumers, experts said.
Gen Z has “this perception of fashion sustainability and mainstream popular fashion illnesses, and the idea that we can shop responsibly with indirect shopping without sacrificing style and personality,” Downing Peters said.
Brown said he might hesitate to resell clothing from his Y2K era. However, she emphasized that Y2K-ERA denim is of much higher quality than current denim and is more valuable.
Brown believes that the Y2K pieces will remain in consumer closets, but they think they will be styled in a more personalized way.
“People shoot Y2K style pieces and add only to the overall style,” she said.
What’s coming next? McClendon says the 2010 style could be on the horizon, so keep those infinity scarves, skinny jeans or combat boots.
