In recent years, fashion trends have borrowed from old styles, often inspired by looks from the 90s and early noughties – this year’s summer style is however much less about the past and more about the future.
Most now will be familiar with the Y2K look which styles 90s and noughties apparel with everything from low waisted jeans to grubby vintage trainers and enormous silver hoops.
For the last few years, Gen Z have looked to the past, inspired by the likes of Kate Moss, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, for their trendy wardrobe choices.
However this summer, fashion may be turning its back on vintage and opting for a much more modern style – the Y3K look, inspired by futuristic fashion from the emerging digital and AI age.
According to the Pinterest Summer Trends report 2024, searches for Y3K have gone up 6030 per cent.
The increase in searches also go alongside a 170 per cent rise in ‘retro future fashion’ and more specific to the alien-esque sci-fi style, a 460 per cent increase in inspiration for ‘lime green outfits’.
The report also shows a 200 per cent increase in searches for ‘silver sneaker outfits’ as the trend represents itself through a shiny space ship aesthetic.
The popular fashion look – it’s name inspired by Y2K – sees fashion through the lens, or space goggles, of someone living in the year 3000.
It combines futuristic flavours of metallic trousers, chunky space boots and luminous make-up, with the familiar haunts of baggy but chic streetwear fashion.
Y3K has even burst onto the runway as seen on recent runway looks from Diesel, Ottolinger and Dion Lee.
Zendaya’s bold Mugler bodysuit at the Dune: Part Two premiere in London in March, also showcased the edgy sci-fi style.
Arguably, the unusual new style has become most well known after the K-pop band, Aespa, used the digital, futuristic inspired style to brand their music.
In particular for the pop group, looks are inspired by virtual reality and AI, aiming to look almost sub human with holographic make-up, foil textured clothing, leather and metallic silver jewellery.
One TikTok creator @cinnagal, explained that the look can be found in ‘Japanese styles like Sabukaru or Tenshi Kaiwai’ while ‘Japanese sources also credit the Chinese app XiaoHongShu’ for starting the trend.
She explained that the aesthetic goes far beyond just the clothes and that heavily accessorising with silver hair clips, 3D nail art and ‘alien’ like base make-up are all in for Y3K.
An important element to perfecting the spacey street look is to adorn the outfit with attachments, whether it be be silver mental, safety pins or abstract trinkets.
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Unconventional and futuristic looking hair is also embedded within the aesthetic with long brands, wild volume and interpretive fixtures, all accepted under the Y3K umbrella.
On the opposing scale, while Gen Z begin to express interest for digital and futuristic style, their beloved Y2K is far from being throw to the bottom of the wardrobe.
Earlier this year, the coquette version of the Y2K style grows as women opt for youthful, fresh faces with a hint of glitter, a la Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter.
On TikTok, many are embracing the coquette beauty look, making videos about how to achieve the baby-faced, doll eyed look Sabrina Carpenter has mastered, with loads of bright pink blush and fluttering lashes.
Those embracing the trend are also fans of hyper-feminine doll lashes, shimmering highlighter, soft pink blush and romantic lip stains, to create a vintage look that combines potent femininity and noughties style.
The Y2K aesthetic has been popular over the last few years, worn both by Gen Z and their millennial elders, all of who have had their turn getting a taste of the bygone era of velour tracksuits and tinted sunglasses.
Nostalgia fashion is a popular and reflects the constant recycle of fashion from tastes throughout time.
The love for Y2K nostalgia is reminiscent of fashion designers, Michael Kor’s love for all things ’60s, or even Tom Fords admiration for the ’70s.