When scrolling through TikTok, Instagram, or Pinterest, jorts, low-rise jeans, and leopard prints show up everywhere—staples that would’ve been odd to see in 2020. Styles from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s are now making bold comebacks, while trends from just five years ago are cringe. In a few decades, we might find skinny jeans and chunky sneakers trendy again. So what’s causing the ongoing fashion revival?
As society transforms, fashion transforms.
For example, in the mid-20th century, women wore long dresses and skirts. 
This reflected societal norms during that period, where fashion valued elegance and modesty.
As time progressed to the 1960s and 1970s, there were shifts in trends.
The feminist movement, the sexual revolution, and the desire for individuality resulted in fashion boundaries being broken. Women began wearing more casual, comfortable, and bold clothes, such as skirts, bell bottoms, and prints.
This idea of reinvention and pushing boundaries can be seen in fashion trends beyond clothing.
Just three years ago, Air Forces, Dunks, and Jordans were everywhere, and now Adidas Sambas have completely taken over.
Aaron Shamin discusses in The History and Rise of the Adidas Samba, that the sneaker was originally designed for men in 1949 by the Adidas founder Adi Dassler to enable soccer players to play on icy and rough structures. The 1950 World Cup took place, and the Sambas were a strategy to get players and fans to invest in the model. As the design evolved, it became slimmer and eventually made its way into the womenswear market.
Overtime, however, it lost fashion appeal, and was associated with dads with no style. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Samba’s were unheard of. Instead, popular shoe brands consisted of Vans, Converse, and Ugg.
Recently, Grace Wales Bonnar reimagined the forgotten staple and released the Grace Bonnar x Adidas Samba. The fresh style of an iconic sneaker was brought back to wardrobes and quickly sold out. The sleek design of Sambas, as well as other Adidas sneakers, became a coveted option with modern chunky and slim designs. So how come these past statements keep coming back?
Celebrities and influencers have the power to turn an item into a global sensation. Brands often send celebrities and influencers new designs for them to wear, in hopes that their products get promoted. As soon as a celebrity gets snapped with them, it reaches millions of viewers instantly, with the help of social media.
The seamless boat neck top has recently become fashionable after it was flaunted by big names such as Kendall Jenner, Jennifer Lopez, and Gigi Hadid. Other designs associated with the clean look, such as basic square-neck tops and fitted full-sleeve tops, increasingly rose in demand.
In fact, social proof exists far beyond social media. Music and movies have a major influence on fashion as well. 
When Zendaya came with Challengers, a movie about a tennis coach and her complicated relationships, she showcased tenniscore outfits during her press tours.According to Sarah Elson’s Forbes article How Zendaya’s ‘Challengers’ Press Tour Fashion Cashed In On Tenniscore, “tennis style in online posts grew 80% between March and April 2024” shortly after.
The reality is, we are more likely to embrace trends when we see them validated by celebrities, influencers, and the media.
Based on a Arizona State University research: The gentle science of persuasion, part three: Social proof, “human beings often make choices about what to think, and what to do, based on the thoughts and actions of others”. The psychological term for this is social proof. Humans are generally looking for ways around them to make decisions about what’s acceptable or desirable.
Circling back to fashion, we naturally tend to follow what trends that get popular and appeal to us. Our choices feel validated and comfortable that way.
In 2019, the most-adopted trend was the VSCO girl trend. Young girls wore beachy accessories, scrunchies, and oversized shirts. Through an anonymous poll at San Ramon Valley, 10 out of 12 people felt the pressure to fit in with the VSCO girl trend. At the time, it seemed as if everyone was conforming to one specific style.
In contrast, 2025 fashion consists of major comebacks from all over the past, but with individualism.
The utmost reasoning behind this is COVID-19. When the world went into lockdown, priorities shifted away from dressing for the public towards comfort at home. Loungewear, sweatpants, and minimal styles immediately took over.
At the same time, social media consumption skyrocketed. Platforms like TikTok gained popularity, exposing content to a wider range of audiences. With more time to explore fashion, individuals began cultivating their own styles.
From cowboy boots from the 80s to cargo pants from the 90s—they’re all trendy right now. There is not one specific decade that is currently a trend. In the present day, prominent celebrities no longer conform to a single aesthetic. They embrace and flaunt different styles. People are mixing and matching trends from different periods of time to embrace their personal styles.
Some may be wearing jorts and jerseys, while others opt for more feminine styles with bootcut jeans and cable-knit sweaters. Both options are trendy items from the past, but represent completely different styles.
Fashion has become increasingly personalized, and social media is a major part of this. Unlike past years, where trends were largely dictated by designers and fashion magazines, social media has actually decentralized fashion influence. They use “ algorithms” that curate feeds based on personal interests and interactions, ultimately providing inspiration that resonate with individual styles and aesthetics.
This shift allows individuals to create their own style rather than conforming to a singular mainstream trend, like the VSCO trend.
As trends continue to evolve, fashion has become a true reflection of society evolving in a way that promotes individuality. There’s no longer a singular “right” way to dress. As more forgotten staples from the past make way to future trends, people will be able to flaunt their individuality greater than ever.
