‘Micro trend’ is a buzz term increasingly being discussed within the fashion industry. Yet, often its concrete meaning is left to interpretation. Sure, it could be inferred pretty confidently that it has to have something to do with a ‘small trend’; but what constitutes this micro-level? And why are micro trends distinct from traditional trend cycles in this particular point in time?
Ultimately, the answer rests within three core features of the contemporary fashion industry: the influence of social media; the pressure to use clothing as a means of ‘fitting in’ and, importantly, the ability for fast fashion to produce garments at an accelerated rate through unsustainable labour and environmental practices.
Micro Trends Fashion Definition: How It Differs From Core Trends
Micro trends are trends with a shorter lifetime than traditional, core trends. To put an objective time period to this, core trends generally last a number of years and often end up becoming wardrobe staples. Contrastingly, micro trends generally only last a number of weeks or sometimes months.
Yet, without retrospect it can be difficult to predict which of these camps a trend falls into. As highlighted in our article about quarter zip jumpers, a core trend may misleadingly present as a micro trend if it experiences a period of (typically social media-fueled) hype. However, garments, such as quarter zips, are not micro trends as they are rooted in a longer trend history which cements their place as a classic, or timeless piece. Consequently, it is productive to outline some additional features which can be employed to distinguish trends from micro trends:
Firstly, trends are circular; consider wide leg trousers, despite a brief hiatus during the 90s and early 2000s, you are just as likely to see people in them now as you were in the 80s. Contrastingly, it’s hard to imagine that the lime green clothing trending over the summer of 2024, in line with Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ era, will see a comeback in 20 years given it failed to even reach summer of 2025.
Secondly, core trends are rooted in broader cultural, political and economic trends in society. It’s no coincidence that minimalism tends to make a return during periods of economic recession. Additionally, trends such as women’s tailoring cannot be detached from cultural shifts such as the women’s liberation movement. In stark contrast, micro trends tend to rise from the short term creation of hype around a specific garment or aesthetic, rather than representing the shifting cultures of society.
But if we are now in an era of micro rather than core trends, what has stimulated this shift?
How Social Media Fuels Micro Trends in Fashion
Social media has fundamentally altered how we consume, and in no industry is this seen quite as starkly as in the fashion industry. Influencers are implicit in their role of encouraging fast fashion and at the same time research shows that consumers are massively governed by what their favorite influencers promote. Hence, the overriding authority of designers and major fashion brands to dictate core trends on the runway is being degraded by the power of influencers to bypass institutions and influence micro trends directly at the level of the consumer.
This fundamental shift in how fashion is consumed via social media has also been exacerbated through the intensified use of algorithms to disperse content. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have incorporated pages which suggest content without the user actively following the influencers themselves. As a result, the persuasion of influencers is ever-expanding and the ability to create hype spills over beyond people’s active consumption of their individually-tailored media content, eroding the ability for people to productively use social media to follow exclusively sustainable brands and influencers.
#Trendpredictions has been used over 14,000 times on TikTok, catapulting influencers hot takes on the ‘must have’ fashion items of the season onto thousands of For You pages. As a result, the way media dictates trends is becoming increasingly subconscious and, resultantly, removed from people’s unique styles. Moreover, being constantly bombarded with influencers telling us what we ‘need’ and promoting regular fast fashion hauls has drastic impacts on people’s mindsets regarding fashion consumption. The ideal frequency of purchasing clothes is elevated, providing the basis for micro trends to thrive as new clothing and aesthetics are constantly sought.
Why Micro Trends Thrive: Social Pressure, Identity & Consumer Behavior
The constant need to purchase new clothing and buy into new trends is intimately connected to a subconscious understanding of how this cycle can elevate social status. When exposed to influencers who gain status from their ability to stay on trend and constantly own new clothing, it is natural to equate buying into micro trends as a way of fitting in and proving worth in society. This is a phenomenon which has been considered as attention deficit fashion; brands encourage influencers to take pictures in outfits yet socially prescribed norms dictate these outfits cannot be repeated. So, as new micro trends are constantly adopted, old clothing is discarded in attempts to avoid being seen as basic.
Consequently, micro trends and the fast fashion items they promote fuel a cycle based on the perpetual need to own the latest item. Yet, this is a need which can never truly be satisfied, resulting in dissatisfaction and lowered mental wellbeing. Beyond unwanted psychological impacts, feeling the need to constantly buy micro trends will have negative economic impacts, adding to consumer dissatisfaction in the long-run.
Of course, the detrimental impacts of micro trends don’t end at the consumer. Their most disastrous impact can be seen when the broader picture, involving their unethical production, consumption and disposal, is considered.
Micro Trends Sustainability: The Hidden Cost of Fast Fashion Production
Ultimately, the ability for influencers and the public to consume micro trends is reliant on fast fashion companies to ‘design’ (or often copy) and produce garments at an unprecedented rate. This is a rate which is highly unsustainable – both for people and the planet.
In order to keep up with the high turnover of micro trends, fast fashion brands such as ASOS, Zara and notoriously Shein, rely on overworking factory employees, who are often underpaid and forced to work in inadequate conditions. In the case of Shein, the demands of micro trends can also be linked to the existence of child labour within the supply chain.
In the fast fashion industry, the exploitation of workers is coupled with the exploitation of natural resources and the environment. Production practices, focused on speed rather than impact, result in high carbon emissions, pollution and the degradation of water resources. In fact, the production of fashion garments creates 10% of global carbon emissions.
Returning to a focus on micro trends, their high turnover and quickening of the production process inevitably exacerbates these impacts. This worsens conditions for workers, but also for people living within environments degraded by harmful production processes.
The Environmental Impact of Micro Trends Sustainability Issues
So, micro trends are implicated in negative human and environmental costs in production, as well as negative mental health and economic costs in consumption. But if the key feature of a micro trend is its quick fall from popularity, what happens after consumption is a critical feature of the cycle to examine.
On average, a garment is worn only 7 to 10 times before being thrown away and this figure will be even more drastic when focused exclusively on short lived micro trends. As a result, 92 million tones of clothing are dumped into landfill annually – polluting the natural environment as harmful toxins and microplastics are released into surrounding areas, generally within the Global South.
As such, whilst the cultural significance of a micro trend may diminish within mere weeks, the stain on the environment will be felt for centuries.
How to Avoid Micro Trends and Build a Sustainable Wardrobe
The antithetical time frames which have been outlined – the micro of the trend and the macro of the impact – need to be more consistently connected in order for consumers to make wiser consumption decisions. These are decisions which should be informed by the impact of the garment, in addition to individual style, rather than social media algorithms.
Identifying a micro trend from a core trend is not always easy, but it is important. It supports us to reduce the constant and cyclical consumption which fuels unsustainability.
To summarise the key distinctions between a micro trend and a core trend, here is an example which may help you to make more informed consumption decisions…
Trend 1. Leg Warmers
- Short period of hype on social media
- Used to fit into a certain aesthetic (‘ballet core’)
- Produced quickly by fast fashion brands yet already seeing a decline in consumption and production
Trend 2. Women’s Streetwear
- Part of broader cultural shifts relating to urban identities
- Linked to gradual shift in fashion towards gender neutrality in clothing
- Lingering and stable impacts which means it often becomes a staple within people’s wardrobes.
Clearly there are major differences between women’s streetwear as a core trend and legwarmers as a micro trend.
Ultimately, because streetwear has proven to last the test of time, you have a greater ability to participate in the trend in a sustainable way. This can be done through incorporating streetwear into your wardrobe in a way which compliments your existing style and sourcing clothes sustainably through resources such as our sustainable brand guide and shopping second hand.
As demonstrated in this example, 1. Social media influence 2. Conformation to fit into dominant but short lived hype and 3. The speed of the garments production, are all factors which should be considered when attempting to consume trends sustainably.
Small Shifts That Break the Micro Trend–Fast Fashion Cycle
- Share this article to support others to resist buying into micro-trends so they can create sustainable wardrobes, built for a lifetime not for a season.
- Learn more about the brands currently perpetuating the negative impacts of micro trends and fast fashion by checking out this article on the worst fast fashion brands to avoid.
From this we can work together to influence the fashion industry to slow down – a change which is drastically needed for both people and the environment.
Rhona is studying a Master’s degree in Global Development and Environment at the University of Bristol. She also works in sustainable retail and, in her downtime, enjoys reading, thrifting and yoga.
