By Brian Pham & Kim Ly
Every generation has its own different styles and aesthetics, and Gen Z is no exception. With the influence of social media apps such as Tik Tok and Instagram, these fashion trends have become widespread. Find out about some of the styles that Gen Z has popularized here.
E-Boy/E-Girl
The e-boy/e-girl style is a fashion style popularized by TikTok. E-boys and e-girls take inspiration from many different alternative styles and subcultures.
The aesthetic is commonly characterized by dyed hair, copious amounts of blush, patterns, layered clothing and chain jewelry. Turtlenecks are usually layered underneath a graphic tee whilst chain necklaces decorate an e-boy/e-girl’s neck. E-boys and e-girls also aim for dark-colored clothing with splashes of color throughout.
While the complete look is not as popular as it was a couple of months ago, elements of the style still hold influence in aspects of other fashion and daily clothing.
90s Revival
Style trends from the 90s have made a recent comeback amongst Gen Z. Baggy jeans have risen in popularity alongside oversized sweaters and shirts. The oversized style originates from 80s and 90s hip-hop subculture and is making waves again.
Simple dresses, patterned skirts and cropped cardigans reminiscent of the style from the 1995 film “Clueless” have also become a staple in many closets, with brands such as Brandy Melville and Princess Polly that target Gen Z shoppers popularizing the looks.
Hypebeast
Hypebeast fashion revolves around designer brand names and is mainly popular among older Gen Z due to its hefty price tags. Some common brands include Supreme, Bape, Stüssy and Off-White. The overall style has many influences from the hip-hop subculture and was popularized by hip-hop artists. The style also takes after skater culture as many brands popular among hypebeasts were originally skate shops, such as Palace and Supreme.
Comfort Wear
Comfort wear is what it sounds like, clothes that are comfy! These clothes tend to be softer, easy to put on and more lose fitting to be relaxing. Clothes commonly worn are oversized jackets or hoodies, oversized t-shirts, leggings, sweatpants and loose-fitting pants. Some even wear pajama pants in public. While this can be seen as lazy, it’s comfortable, affordable, easy to style and doesn’t take that much time to put on.
Casual fashion for Gen Z at the moment is fluid and diverse, and these are just some prominent examples. Many styles overlap and you can draw from whatever influences you like to dress how you want. What styles do you wear? Do you wear any of the styles in this article, or do you have your own style?
