Ever-changing seasonal fashion trends and how to participate sustainably

Summer 2024 brought a whirlwind of blink-and-you-miss-them fashion trends. From Zendaya’s newest blockbuster “Challengers” unleashing a floodgate of tennis skirts and athleisure to the release of pop star Charli XCX’s album “Brat” bringing back party girl chic. In an age where thousands of hours of content are a touch away, it’s hard to keep up.

Sam Pearce, assistant professor of the practice in the Wilson College of Textiles, provided her insight into how short-form social media content has influenced fashion.

“Fashion trends are spreading a lot faster now because of the advent of social media,” Pearce said. “It’s like every month there’s a different ‘core.’”

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest are notorious for spreading fashion trends built around a certain aesthetic, oftentimes referred to as a specific “core.”

For example, the release of “Barbie" in the summer of 2023 influenced a massive fashion trend called “Barbiecore,” which centered around everything pink and head-to-toe sparkles. The advent of different cores based on trending film, music, current events and other media has only intensified the rate at which new fashion crazes pop up.

All the conflicting buzz online can feel overwhelming to sift through. Pearce recommends people-watching as a great way to gauge how trends have been translated into everyday wear.

“I get all of my fashion trend information from watching students,” Pearce said. “I used to teach fashion illustration, and I made my students sit outside and people watch and write down what fashion trends they saw the most often.”

Abby Stuart, a third-year studying fashion and textile brand management and marketing, reflected on what specific pieces she saw during the summer 2024 season.

“I’ve seen long skirts everywhere, and I noticed big statement jewelry,” Stewart said. “When I was in Italy, a lot of people were wearing chunky earrings and big necklaces and belts.”

Vogue and WhoWhatWear, two major fashion publications, have both reported that maxi skirts, wide-leg pants and pendant necklaces are the go-to options when styling your summer wardrobe. But fashion moves quickly, and with fall around the corner, all eyes are on what’s up next.

“Long skirts are definitely going to stay,” Stewart said. “I also see us moving into looser linen pants because they’re very breathable and comfortable to wear in class.”

Along with baggy silhouettes, lots of other unique fall inspiration has debuted on the runway. Boho, maxi skirts, cardigans, bubble skirts, low-waisted jeans and everything burgundy are all things to consider for the fall 2024 season.

Staying up to date with the latest trends is a great way to feel confident and fashionable, but if you don’t already have what you need for summer or fall in your closet, consider doing your part in sourcing your fashion sustainably. 

Textiles themselves, not even counting the amount of clothes thrown in the trash every year after on-the-whim purchases, account for 20 percent of global clean water pollution. Textile production was also the third largest water degrader and land user in 2020.

The pace at which trends fluctuate influences the rapid increase in clothing production and waste. This contributes to the already overwhelmed landfills and encourages clothing brands to fall back on inhumane working conditions to overproduce cheap clothing that can satisfy the sudden jump in demand. 

However, just because you’re environmentally conscious doesn’t mean you can’t be trendy. Pearce said thrifting and luxury consignment are at the top of her list for how to sustainably stay up to date with fashion.

“If you want to follow the trends in a responsible way, you can share with your friends, consign and donate,” Pearce said. “We are what we consume, and we are who we hang around with and who we look at on social media. At the end of the day, that's going to influence what we buy and how we want to dress.”

Luckily, Raleigh is a city occupied by plenty of thrift and vintage stores, where second hand clothing is plentiful. Throughout the year, NC State has thrift fairs full of local vendors as well, a lot of which are students. Goodwill, Cause for Paws, Uptown Cheapskate, Cheshire Cat and more are all very close, and might give you an option to be more sustainable in the coming season.