During the past few seasons, the trend
normcore has come up as the most interpreted and flaunted trend in
the fashion world.
The term, originally coined by the
trend-forecasting group K-Hole, has changed its meaning from trying
to adapt your individual style to that of a fashion community, to
acting basic. In the most basic sense, when you google normcore what
you get is a bunch of white people in light boyfriend jeans, a white
tee and a brown bag, and this is how journalists and consumers alike
see the trend.
The popularity of this trend is hard to
understand; there's nothing new or innovative about it, and it
doesn't stand out as particularly stylish. It seems like something
you would just put on on a day when you have nothing else to wear, as
a last resort. It's a rejection of designer labels, and can even be
seen as anti-fashion.
K-Hole said the rise of normcore can be
explained as a reaction to the mass indie movement where being
different was valued overall.
However, it does pose as an interesting
indication of society's prefrences as well as their perception on
normality. For a long time it has been a negative thing, and ”basic”
has become somewhat of an insult to many.
New words describing normality have
been surfacing; classic, minimalistic, simple and even elegant now
describe the style of these normcore supporters. It is not so much a
lack of inspiration as it is a personal identity now. Being able to
strip down your style to the pure basics has become somewhat
admirable as it represents a lifestyle that is perhaps more simple
and easygoing.
What normcore also does is give people
a collective identity and community. These people are the ones
shopping for organic foods, buying from local shops and acting the
same way, without realizing there's a label set upon them. This gives
a certain amount of pressure to act and dress in the way you are
expected to, to reinforce the movement's validity.
But is this the direction we want to be
headed? What happened to the peacocks, the trendsetters and the
outcast? Surely they're still out there somewhere, waiting for their
time to shine. There are still many people who don't want to define
themselves as part of a certain stylistic group and just be seen as
individuals, and not a part of a labelled group.
