Dear Present Prospect - A love note

Dear Present Prospects, 

Listen up! If you’re a millennial and grew up in the 90s, this one’s for you. Remember breaking your ankles over those chunky platform sandals? The ones made with a soft foam-like material that added 5 inches of distance between your feet and the ground? They were the ultimate staple piece to your 90s summer look but were left behind when thin flip-flops took over the 2000s.

Then suddenly, in 2019, Steve Madden relaunches the very same iconic foam shoe. And one week later, people buzzed about Bella Hadid’s vintage look, wearing the platform sandal. Gen Z’ers are seeing this shoe for the first time, eager to buy into the trend.

Millennials are left questioning what caused them to come back? And, why now?

Because trends repeat, and with this information, there’s no need to buy more to keep up with fashion, when we can be trendsetters with the clothes from the back of our closets.  We want to show you how to predict your next look by looking back in time. 

Grab a pen; you’ll want to take some notes on this—the formula for anticipating future trends. A general rule of thumb is that a style will come back into fashion 20 to 30 years after it happened. The comeback of the 90s platform sandal was no coincidence; it fit into this timeline like clockwork. Which led us to the revival of the Y2K trend this year, 21 years from its origin.

In the next decade, the clothes we wore in 2010 will be back, which could include anything from festival-like fashion, millennial pink, sports luxe, skinny jeans, fringe, etc. If you haven’t tossed any of this stuff already, consider keeping your favorite pieces, your future self will thank you.

Sometimes it’s hard to look long-term, so let's focus on anticipating seasonal trends. Consider these factors: color, themes, shapes, key social events, and the economy. This summer, we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after COVID-19 vaccinations are available nationwide. This is an exciting time, and our fashion will match the hype. The year 2000 was an important milestone, so the trends were more unique than ever, and we expect this summer to respond the same, when our social lives first experience freedom again. Bold futuristic colors: orange, chrome, icy blues, and glossy whites. Our outfits may even have themes, mixing contrast colors and sporting wild patterns. Our economy is seeing a boom period, which can impact even the cut of our hemlines. Historically speaking, whenever the economy has dipped, society wears short skirts and more cropped hems, simply due to clothing manufacturers lacking the funds for fabric. As our economy enters its growth period this year, you should expect to see less crops and more fabric, perhaps more layering and forever changing styles of your tops. 

So, what’s the point of this, anyway? We want to open your eyes, Present Prospect, to why clothing doesn’t need to be a short-term purchase. Fast fashion can often trick us into thinking we have to update our closets each season to stay on trend, but in reality, each trend is predictable and repurposed. You don’t need to be a hoarder to be sustainable, but you can use this information to hold on to the good stuff since you’ll likely be wearing it again. Or perhaps save it for someone else because we guarantee those old looks will be valuable in time. 

And if you’ve already said goodbye to your old looks, don’t worry. Instead of buying from unethical corporations, try some alternatives. There are plenty of local vintage second-hand shops that will have those low-rise jeans, and better yet, you have us to rely on, such as our sustainable swimwear with bright and funky patterns, right on-trend. Layer your fits with some of our graphic tees because I’m sure you can guess already, it’s trending again!

Save your clothes. Be a trendsetter. Be sustainable. This is your new present.

With love,

Present Iteration